Bishop César Alcides Balbín Tamayo

Bishop César Alcides Balbín Tamayo, Bishop of Cartago, Colombia, has source date labels for birth, 1958-09-08; priestly ordination, 1985-11-19; and episcopal ordination, 2015-03-07. He was born on 8 September 1958 in Santa Rosa de Osos. He completed primary studies at Colegio Cardenal Aníbal Muñoz Duque in his native town, then entered the Santo Tomás de Aquino Diocesan Major Seminary of Santa Rosa de Osos, where he attended philosophy and theology courses from 1979 to 1985. After his priestly ordination, he obtained a licentiate in Moral Theology in Rome in 1994; he also obtained a licentiate in philosophy and religious education at the Universidad Católica de Oriente in 1998 and a Master in Business Administration at the Escuela de Administración de Empresas of Barcelona, Spain. He was ordained a priest on 19 November 1985 and was incardinated in the diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos. He served as syndic of Mutuo Auxilio Sacerdotal of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia from 2005 to 2014 and as pastor of Santa Bárbara parish in Bellavista, diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos, from 2014 to 2015. He was appointed by Pope Francis as Bishop of the Diocese of Caldas on 28 January 2015 and was ordained bishop on 7 March 2015. On 19 March of the same year he took canonical possession of the assigned see. On 18 October 2021 Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of the Diocese of Cartago, and he took possession of the office on 9 December 2021.