Archbishop of Arequipa
He was born in the city of Lima on December 22, 1957. He attended the "La Salle" school in that city (1963–1973) and studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (1974–1979). In 1987, he entered the "Redemptoris Mater and John Paul II" Diocesan Missionary Seminary in Callao and was ordained a priest on November 22, 1992, by the Archbishop-Bishop of Callao, Msgr. Ricardo Durand Flórez, S.J. He holds a Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), both in Rome. He has authored books and various articles in specialized journals and has delivered numerous lectures in Peru and abroad. Within the Diocese of Callao, Msgr. Del Río served as Rector of the "Corazón de Cristo" Diocesan Seminary, Pastor of the "María Auxiliadora" Parish, member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors, Vice President of the Pastoral Council and of Caritas Callao, Coordinator of the Diocesan Commission for the Laity, Vicar General to the Bishop of Callao, first Rector of the "Redemptoris Mater" Faculty of Theology, and President of the "Desarrollo Integral de Nuevo Pachacútec" Foundation. He has also served as Spiritual Advisor to the Christian Union of Businesspeople of Peru (UCDE) and as head of the Neocatechumenal Way's itinerant team in the Archdiocese of Ayacucho and the Apostolic Vicariate of Yurimaguas. On October 12, 2004, His Holiness John Paul II appointed him Titular Bishop of Phelbes (Egypt) and Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Callao. He was ordained a bishop on November 21, 2004, by Msgr. Miguel Irizar Campos, C.P., Bishop of Callao. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Arequipa, and he took possession of the see on August 20, 2006. Msgr. Del Río has held various positions within the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, including Deputy Secretary, Vice President of the Episcopal Commission for Seminaries and Vocations, President of the Episcopal Commission for the Lay Apostolate, and member of the Board of Directors of "Promotora de la Solidaridad." He has served twice as Vice President of that same Episcopal Conference and was a member of its Permanent Council from 2006 to 2014. Currently, he is a member of its Legal Committee and the Episcopal Commission for Family and Life, as well as the Santa Rosa Priestly Solidarity Assembly, where he also chairs the Supervisory Commission. At the Vatican, he serves on the Administrative Council of the Populorum Progressio Foundation and the International Council for Catechesis. He participated as a delegate of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference in the 12th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (2008) and in Pope Francis's visit to Bolivia (2015). The Pontifical Council for the Laity appointed him as a Catechist Bishop for the 26th World Youth Day (Madrid, 2011). He is a full member of the Peruvian Academy of Ecclesiastical History; an honorary member of the Arequipa Bar Association, the Peruvian Association of Canonists, and the José Luis Bustamante y Rivero Foundation; and a member of the Board of Authorities of Arequipa, the Arequipa Foundation, the Pro-Navy Association, and the Advisory Committee of the Cerro Verde Civil Association. He also serves as President of Cáritas Arequipa, the "Nuestra Señora del Rosario" Foundation, and the "San Pedro Priests' Hospital" Foundation. Additionally, he is Vice President of Peruvian Mission, Inc. (USA) and a Goodwill Ambassador for Israel. In recognition of his academic achievements, the Pontifical Gregorian University awarded him the Saint Robert Bellarmine Medal. The Arequipa Bar Association has awarded him the Medals of Honor for Legal Merit in the ranks of Arequipa jurists Toribio Pacheco and Francisco García Calderón y Landa, and the National University of San Agustín has awarded him its Gold Medal. He has also received the "Citizen Merit Medal" from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the "Friend of Children and Adolescents" recognition from the Ombudsman's Office, the "Gold Medal of the City" from the Provincial Municipality of Arequipa, the "Union for Peru" Gold Medal, and Medals of Honor from the Peruvian National Police, the National Pro-Navy Association of Peru, and the Arequipa Regional Education Directorate, among other distinctions and honors. On Thursday, November 16, the "Redemptoris Mater" Faculty of Theology in Callao conferred the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in Sacred Theology upon Msgr. Javier Del Río Alba. This honor recognizes his distinguished mission as a promoter of education, his persistent efforts to establish the Faculty—of which he served as Rector—and his significant pastoral work in defense of life and the family. Rev. Msgr. Juan Carlos Asqui Pilco, Bishop-Prelate of Chuquibamba: His Excellency Msgr. Juan Carlos Asqui Pilco was born on December 7, 1972, in Tacna, within the Diocese of Tacna and Moquegua. He studied philosophy at the Cristo Sacerdote Seminary in Colombia and subsequently obtained a Bachelor's degree in Theology from the ISET (Juan XXIII Higher Institute of Theological Studies) in Lima. He was ordained a priest on April 23, 2000, and incardinated into the Diocese of Tacna and Moquegua. He has held the following positions: Pastoral Assistant in Coruca, Inclán, and Poquera (Tacna, 2000); Parochial Vicar of San Jerónimo Parish in Ilo and Youth Movement Advisor (2001); Parish Administrator of San Jerónimo Parish in Ilo and Spiritual Advisor to ecclesial and charismatic groups (2002); Pastor of Santísima Trinidad Parish in Ilo (2003) and of the Sanctuary of the Lord of Locumba in Tacna (2004–2006); Treasurer and member of the Economic Council of the Diocese of Tacna and Moquegua (2006–2013); Pastor of San José Misericordioso Parish in Tacna (2007–2013); Treasurer of the San José Diocesan Seminary in Tacna (2013); Pastor of San Antonio de Padua Parish in Moquegua (2014–2019); and member of the Presbyteral Council of Tacna and Moquegua (2014). Since 2014, he has served as Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Care and for the implementation of the Diocese's Plan for Renewal and Evangelization (PRED), and since 2019, as Rector of the San José Diocesan Seminary in Tacna.