Province of Buenos Aires

Stored in Cargo: Province of Buenos Aires, Province of Buenos Aires

Ecclesiastical Province Province of Buenos Aires
Status:	Active
Rite:	Latin Rite
Metropolitan Archdiocese:	Archdiocese of Buenos Aires
Metropolitan Archbishop:	Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva
Suffragan Dioceses:	Diocese of Avellaneda-Lanús; Diocese of Gregorio de Laferrere; Diocese of Lomas de Zamora; Diocese of Morón; Diocese of Quilmes; Eparchy of San Charbel en Buenos Aires; Diocese of San Isidro; Diocese of San Justo; Diocese of San Martín; Diocese of San Miguel; Eparchy of Santa María del Patrocinio en Buenos Aires
Country:	Argentina
Region:	Buenos Aires (federal capital and province)
Website:	http://www.arzbaires.org.ar/
Existence:	1866–present
Number of Suffragans:	11

The Ecclesiastical Province of Buenos Aires is an ecclesiastical province of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Argentina. It is centered on the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, which serves as the primatial see of Argentina until 2024. The province encompasses the federal capital and surrounding areas in the Province of Buenos Aires, overseeing multiple suffragan dioceses.

The province was established when the Diocese of Buenos Aires, originally erected in 1620, was elevated to a metropolitan archdiocese on 5 March 1866 by the Holy See.

Establishment

The Diocese of Buenos Aires was erected on 6 April 1620 by Pope Paul V, carved from the Diocese of Paraguay (Asunción). It was elevated to an archdiocese and metropolitan see on 5 March 1866.

History

The see has played a central role in Argentine Catholicism. Key figures include Archbishop Mariano José de Escalada (mid-19th century) and later cardinals such as Antonio Quarracino, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (later Pope Francis), and Mario Aurelio Poli. On 26 May 2023, Pope Francis appointed Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva as archbishop; he was installed on 15 July 2023. In 2024, the primatial title shifted to the Archdiocese of Santiago del Estero, though Buenos Aires remains a major metropolitan see.

Geography

The province primarily covers the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and parts of Buenos Aires Province. The metropolitan archdiocese itself covers a small urban territory of about 205 km².

Mother Church

The mother church is the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires), dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity.

Leadership

The current metropolitan archbishop is Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva (appointed 26 May 2023).

A complete chronological list of ordinaries is available on Catholic-Hierarchy.org.

Statistics

As of recent data for the metropolitan archdiocese: approximately 2.8–2.9 million Catholics, 186 parishes, around 548 priests (diocesan and religious), and significant numbers of religious sisters and deacons.

Religious Communities

Numerous orders are active, including Jesuits, Franciscans, Salesians, and others engaged in education, charity, and pastoral work in urban and suburban settings.

Parishes and Missions

The province features hundreds of parishes across its suffragan sees, with a strong emphasis on outreach in densely populated areas.

External links

• [Official website of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires](http://www.arzbaires.org.ar/)
• [Catholic-Hierarchy: Archdiocese of Buenos Aires](https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dbuea.html)