Archbishop of Buenos Aires; Bishop of Argentina
Archbishop-elect Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva was born on 12 April 1968 in Río Gallegos. After completing his studies in philosophy and theology in the seminary of the diocese of San Isidro, he received priestly ordination on 24 October 1997. He was awarded a licentiate in theology, with specialization in Church history and canon law, from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina “Santa Maria de los Buenos Aires”, and qualified as a lawyer at the Universidad Católica de Salta (UCASAL) in Argentina. He has held the following offices: parish vicar and parish priest of Nuestra Señora de la Cava in Beccar; parish priest of Santa Clara de Asís in Tigre; promotor of justice in the interdiocesan tribunal of San Isidro, Merlo-Moreno; vice president of diocesan Caritas; diocesan delegate for prison pastoral care, and chaplain of various penitentiaries of the province of Buenos Aires. On 20 November 2017 he was appointed titular bishop of Lacubaza and auxiliary of Lomas de Zamora, receiving episcopal ordination on 3 March 2018. On 3 January 2019 he was appointed bishop of Río Gallegos. He is currently a member of the Dicastery for Bishops and deputy chair of the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care (ICCPPC).