Toribio Ticona Porco (Spanish pronunciation: [toˈɾi.βjo tiˈkona ˈpoɾko]; born 25 April 1937) is a Bolivian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Prelate of the Territorial Prelature of Corocoro from 1992 to 2012 after serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Potosí from 1986 to 1992. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.


Toribio Ticona Porco
Prelate emeritus of Corocoro
Porco in 2018
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
SeeCorocoro
Appointed4 June 1992
Term ended29 June 2012
PredecessorJesús Agustín López de Lama
SuccessorPercy Lorenzo Galván Flores
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of Santi Gioacchino e Anna al Tuscolano (2018–)
Orders
Ordination29 January 1967
by Cleto Loayza Gumiel
Consecration31 May 1986
by Santos Abril y Castelló
Created cardinal28 June 2018
by Pope Francis
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born
Toribio Ticona Porco

(1937-04-25) 25 April 1937 (age 86)
Previous post(s)

Of Quechuan origin, he was the first Latin American cardinal from one of the continent's indigenous ethnic groups.[1][2]

Biography edit

Toribio Ticona Porco was born in Atocha in the Potosi Department of Bolivia, on 25 April 1937.[3] He was raised by his mother and never knew his father. He worked shining shoes and selling newspaper, was a bricklayer's assistant and an auto mechanic and worked in a brewery. He became a Catholic under the influence of Belgian missionaries.[4] He first worked for the missionaries as a bell ringer and secretary in Atocha. He began his preparation for the priesthood in 1962 at a center for late vocations in Chile, but returned to Bolivia after only two months. At the Belgians' insistence he studied philosophy and theology for four years at the seminary in Sucre. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Potosí on 29 January 1967.[5] He did further studies at the Pastoral Institute of CELAM and at the Center Lumen Vitae in Brussels.[3] While a priest in Chacarilla, a mining town of 2,000 people, he was mayor for 14 years.[4][5]

On 5 April 1986, Pope John Paul II appointed him titular bishop of Timici and auxiliary bishop of Potosí,[3] and he was consecrated a bishop on 31 May 1986 by Archbishop Santos Abril y Castelló, apostolic nuncio to Bolivia.[5] As an auxiliary bishop, he worked in the mining region of northern Potosí, based in the town of Uncía in Chayanta Province.[5]

On 4 June 1992, John Paul appointed him Prelate of the Territorial Prelature of Corocoro.[3]

Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation on 29 June 2012.[6]

On 20 May 2018 Pope Francis announced he would make Ticona a cardinal on 28 June.[7] Ticona learned of the surprise appointment while visiting his mother's grave near Quillacollo.[8] At the 28 June consistory, he was assigned the titular church of Santi Gioacchino ed Anna al Tuscolano.[9] Bolivian President Evo Morales attended the ceremony and said he witnessed the creation of "our first indigenous cardinal and worker" with "profound happiness and joy".[10]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Toribio Ticona es consagrado como el primer cardenal indígena de Bolivia" (in Spanish). Nodal. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Ticona presume su quechua en Roma listo para su investidura". El Deber (in Spanish). 28 June 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Annuncio di Concistoro il 29 giugno per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali, 20.05.2018" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Brief biographical sketches of 14 new cardinals". The Tablet. Catholic News Service. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "Biografía del Cardenal Toribio Ticona". Informatión de la Comunidad (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 29.06.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  7. ^ Tornielli, Andrea (20 May 2018). "Concistoro a giugno, ecco i nuovi cardinali di Francesco". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  8. ^ Rivera Fernández, Joseph Howard (20 May 2018). "Mons. Toribio P. Ticona es el nuevo Cardenal de la Iglesia en Bolivia". Iglesia Viva (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico: Assegnazione dei Titoli, 28.06.2018" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Emocionante investidura de Ticona como cardenal, dice Evo Morales". Prensa Latina (in Spanish). 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
Additional sources

External links edit

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Ramón Darío Molina Jaramillo
— TITULAR —
Titular Bishop of Timici
5 April 1986 – 4 June 1992
Succeeded by
Francisco Cases Andreu
Preceded by Prelate of Corocoro
4 June 1992 – 29 June 2012
Succeeded by
Percy Lorenzo Galván Flores
Preceded by Cardinal-Priest of Santi Gioacchino e Anna al Tuscolano
28 June 2018 -
Incumbent