Archbishop Marcos Aurelio Pérez Caicedo

He was born in Daule, Guayas Province, on July 14, 1967. He completed his secondary education at the "Juan Bautista Aguirre" National High School in Daule. He then pursued studies in philosophy and theology at the Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Guayaquil. Subsequently, he spent a period in Italy to further his formation, where he obtained a Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Upon returning to Ecuador, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Guayaquil on March 19, 1992, by the then-Metropolitan Archbishop, Juan Larrea Holguín. Since his ordination, he has held numerous pastoral positions over the years: he began his ministry as parochial vicar of El Sagrario Church. In 1998, he became vice-rector of the Major Seminary of Guayaquil, serving in that role until the following year, when he was elected rector. From 2002, he served as president of the Organization of Ecuadorian Seminaries (OSEC). From 2004 to 2006, he served as both a professor and rector at the Major Seminary of Guayaquil.