Bishop of Valle de la Pascua
Bishop Ricardo Aldo Barreto Cairo was born in Panama on 7 July 1968; in Venezuela since 1973, he obtained Venezuelan citizenship in 1985. After his ecclesiastical studies in philosophy and theology at the major seminary of La Guaira, he obtained a licentiate in theology from the Universidad Catolica Santa Rosa in Caracas, a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and the title of professor in special education from the Instituto Universitario Pedagógico Monseñor Rafael Arias Blanco in Caracas. He was ordained a priest on 15 August 1998 and incardinated in the diocese of La Guaira. He has held the following offices: formator in the seminary of La Guaira, parish administrator of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Tarmas; diocesan penitentiary; chaplain of the Oblate Sistesr of Divine Love in Rome; parish priest of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes in El Junquito; rector of the San Pedro Apóstol interdiocesan major seminary in La Guaira and president of the Organization of Seminarians of Venezuela. In addition, he is a member of the National Commission for the Protection of Minors and of the Episcopal Commission for the Clergy, Seminarians, Vocations and the Permanent Diaconate of the Episcopal Conference. On 17 September 2019 he was appointed titular bishop of Badie and auxiliary of the archdiocese of Caracas, receiving episcopal ordination the following 23 November.