Roman Catholic Diocese of Zárate-Campana


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Zárate-Campana is a Latin rite suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján, in central Argentina on the Atlantic coast, having had change of metropolitan from La Plata in 2019.
Its cathedral episcopal see is Catedral Santa Florentina, dedicated to Saint Florentina, in Campana and it also has a co-cathedral: Cocatedral Natividad del Señor, dedicated to the Nativity of Our Lord, in Belén de Escobar, also in Buenos Aires Province.

History

It was created by Pope Paul VI on 21 April 1976, by the Papal Bulla "Qui consilio divino" as Diocese of Zárate–Campana / Zaraten–Campanen, on territories split off from the Diocese of San Isidro and from the Diocese of San Nicolás de los Arroyos. The first bishop, Claretian Mgr. Alfredo Mario Espósito Castro, chosen by Paul VI on 21 April 1976, received his episcopal consecration and took possession of the see on 4 July 1976.

Extent and statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 660,000 Catholics on 5,924 km² in 33 parishes and 89 missions with 88 priests, 13 deacons, 178 lay religious and 27 seminarians.
It includes the cities of Campana, Escobar, Zarate, Baradero, Pilar, Exaltación de la Cruz and San Antonio de Areco, all in the northern part of Greater Buenos Aires.

Episcopal ordinaries