The pilgrim Church in the Colombian Amazon gratefully welcomes Pope Leo XIV’s appointment of Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias as the new bishop of the Diocese of Yopal, following nearly a decade of episcopal service at the head of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Andrés and Providencia.
With this appointment, Monsignor Sanabria Arias becomes the third bishop of the particular Church of Yopal, succeeding Monsignor Edgar Aristizábal Quintero, who was transferred in 2024 to the Diocese of Duitama-Sogamoso. Since then, the diocese had remained sede vacante under the pastoral administration of Father Jeison Andrey Salguero Roa.
Although his new pastoral service will take place in the Eastern Plains region, Monsignor Jaime Uriel’s ministry has left a significant mark on the life of the Church in the mission territories and on the evangelization processes that characterize the jurisdictions directly linked to the Holy See.
A Shepherd with Missionary Experience
Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias was born on April 17, 1970, in Ciénega, Boyacá. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Tunja on November 19, 1994, where he served in various pastoral roles, including parish vicar, parish priest, and episcopal vicar for Pastoral Action.
On April 16, 2016, he was appointed by Pope Francis as Apostolic Vicar of San Andrés and Providencia. He received episcopal ordination on May 22 of that same year and took canonical possession on June 25, 2016.
During these years, he supported the pastoral life of the Church in the archipelago, strengthening the mission of evangelization, fostering closeness with the communities, and reinforcing the Church’s commitment to integral human development and the care of creation in this island territory.
A New Mission in the Eastern Llanos
With this appointment by Pope Leo XIV, Monsignor Sanabria Arias now begins a new phase in the service of the Diocese of Yopal, a jurisdiction created by St. John Paul II in 2001 on the territory of the former Apostolic Vicariate of Casanare.
The diocese encompasses various municipalities in the department of Casanare and has as its patroness Our Lady of Sorrows of Manare, a devotion deeply rooted in the faith and history of the people of the plains.
Gratitude for His Service and Commitment to the Mission
From the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), we express our gratitude for the pastoral service that Monsignor Jaime Uriel Sanabria Arias has rendered to the Church in a mission territory over the years, as well as our solidarity and prayers as he assumes this new episcopal responsibility.
We trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide his ministry so that he may remain a shepherd close to the People of God, a promoter of communion, synodality, and the proclamation of the Gospel, in service to the life and hope of the communities now entrusted to him.