In his first homily as pastor of the Diocese of Yopal, Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias emphasized the need to build a synodal, missionary Church committed to caring for life and the natural resources of Colombia’s Orinoquía region.
In a celebration marked by episcopal, priestly, religious, and lay communion, Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias assumed the leadership of the Diocese of Yopal on August 27, following his appointment by Pope Leo XIV on June 29.
The Cathedral of San José in Yopal welcomed bishops, priests, men and women religious, seminarians, civil and military authorities, parish delegations, apostolic movements, lay faithful, and family members of the new pastor to a celebration that expressed the richness and diversity of the People of God.
As metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Tunja, Monsignor Gabriel Ángel Villa Vahos—Archbishop of Tunja and vice president of the Colombian Episcopal Conference—was entrusted with reading the apostolic letters through which the Holy Father entrusted Monsignor Sanabria Arias with this new pastoral mission.
Until his appointment as bishop of Yopal, Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria served as apostolic vicar of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, a role he had held since 2016.
“More than a territory, we entrust you with a mission”
During the celebration, Father Jeison Andrey Salguero, the diocesan administrator during the period of sede vacante, welcomed the new bishop on behalf of the entire ecclesial community.
In presenting the reality of the diocese, he highlighted the strengths and challenges of a Church called to revitalize its communities, accompany families, listen to young people, and make the merciful face of Christ present among those who need Him most.
“More than a structure, today we want to entrust you with a family; more than an institution, we want to entrust you with a people; and more than a territory, we entrust you with a mission,” he said.
His words reflected the willingness of priests, consecrated men and women, and the lay faithful to walk alongside the new shepherd in building a Church that is “more united, more accessible, more service-oriented, and more missionary.”
A Church That Walks United
In his first homily as bishop of Yopal, Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias framed the beginning of his ministry within Jesus’ missionary mandate: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel.”
Building on this call, he presented a vision of the Church deeply marked by communion and participation.
First, he recalled that Christ is the one true Shepherd and that the bishop is called to be a servant of the people of God. In this regard, he noted that the pastor’s mission involves guiding, listening to, accompanying, and walking alongside those entrusted to his care.
The second aspect of his reflection focused on building a synodal Church, in which all the baptized can actively participate in the mission of evangelization.
“A synodal Church invites us to walk together,” he affirmed.
For the new bishop, this journey requires seeking God’s will as a community under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, overcoming polarizations, and promoting the active participation of the laity, consecrated men and women, and ordained ministers.
This perspective resonates deeply with the path of listening, participation, and communion that the Church is embodying in the various regions of Latin America and the Amazon.
Holiness, Mission, and Commitment to the Territory
Bishop Sanabria also addressed the clergy of Yopal, emphasizing that the holiness of those who proclaim the Gospel is fundamental to the Church’s mission.
At the same time, he recalled that evangelization is the responsibility of the entire People of God and that the mission must constantly open the Church toward the human, social, and territorial peripheries.
In this context, he highlighted the importance of recognizing Casanare’s history of evangelization and the legacy of religious and missionary communities that have accompanied the lives of its people for decades.
His reflection took on special significance as he referred to the natural wealth of Colombia’s Orinoquía region, a territory of great biodiversity and profound importance for ecological balance and the lives of its communities.
The new bishop called for the promotion of an integral ecology capable of bringing together communities, workers, businesspeople, rice farmers, ranchers, and those involved in the oil industry around a model of development that places human dignity and the care of creation at its center.
“May we be a welcoming region that values and protects its biodiversity,” he said.
A Mission That Embraces Life
For CEAMA, the start of Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias’s pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Yopal also represents an opportunity to renew the Church’s commitment to an evangelization that is incarnated in these territories.
The call to walk together, listen to the voices of the people of God, care for biodiversity, and place the most vulnerable at the center resonates with the challenges currently faced by the peoples of the Amazon and the other territories that make up South America’s great common home.
Synodality, mission, and integral ecology are thus presented as inseparable paths for a Church that desires to be close to the people and to respond to the cries of the earth and those who inhabit it.
At the conclusion of his homily, Bishop Jaime Uriel Sanabria entrusted his episcopal ministry and the life of the Diocese of Yopal to Our Lady of Sorrows, asking for her protection to accompany the evangelizing mission of this particular Church.
We at CEAMA join in prayer for Bishop Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias and for the entire community of the Diocese of Yopal, that this new pastoral season may be a journey of communion, listening, mission, and care for life.