The Military Bishopric of Chile is a military ordinariate

Military ordinariate

A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church, of Latin or Eastern Rite, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation....

 of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. Immediately subject to the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

, it provides pastoral care

Pastoral care

Pastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...

 to Roman Catholics serving in the Chilean Armed Forces and their families.

History

It was first established as a military vicariate on 3 May 1910 with the first military vicar appointment on 27 May 1910. It was elevated to a military ordinariate 21 July 1986. The military ordinary's seat

Cathedra

A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...

 is located at the Military Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Catedral Castrense de Nuestra Señora del Carmen) in the city of Santiago

Santiago, Chile

Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

.

Military vicars

• Rafael Edwards Salas (appointed 27 May 1910 – died 5 August 1938)
• José Luis Fermandois Cabrera (appointed 8 August 1938 – died 18 August 1941)
• Carlos Labbé Márquez
  Carlos Labbé Márquez
  Carlos Labbé Márquez was a Chilean bishop....
  
   (appointed 18 August 1941 – died 17 October 1941)
• Julio Tadeo Ramírez Ortiz (appointed 17 October 1941 – died 10 June 1942)
• Teodoro Eugenín Barrientos, SS.CC.
  Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
  The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers, priests, and nuns...
  
   (appointed 20 June 1942 – retired 21 December 1959)
• Francisco Xavier Gillmore Stock (appointed 16 October 1959 – retired 26 November 1983)
• José Joaquín Matte Varas (appointed 26 November 1983 – became military ordinary 21 July 1986)

Military ordinaries

• José Joaquín Matte Varas (appointed 21 July 1986 – resigned 31 January 1995)
• Gonzalo Duarte García de Cortázar, SS.CC.
  Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
  The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers, priests, and nuns...
  
   (appointed 31 January 1995 – resigned 4 November 1999)
• Pablo Lizama Riquelme (appointed 4 January 1999 – Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of Antofagasta 27 February 2004)
• Juan Barros Madrid (current incumbent, appointed 9 October 2004)