Pope Leo XIV appointed Monsignor Juan de Dios Peña Rojas as the new bishop of the Diocese of Barinas in Venezuela on July 29, 2026. At the time of his appointment, Peña Rojas held the position of El Vigía-San Carlos del Zulia.
Barinas, established on July 23, 1965 by then-Pope Paul VI through the apostolic constitution Apostolicum munus, is a suffragan jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Mérida, located in the southwestern part of the country.
With an area of more than 35 thousand kilometers, it encompasses 45 ecclesiastical parishes, 12 municipalities, 75 priests, with 789 baptized according to the Pontifical Yearbook with figures from 2023.
Profile of the new bishop
Monsignor Juan de Dios Peña Rojas will be the sixth bishop of Barinas. He was born in Acequias on August 8, 1967.
After completing secondary education, he entered the San Buenaventura Major Seminary in Mérida. At that institution, he studied Philosophy and Theology from 1985 to 1992.
He later obtained a bachelor's degree in Theology from the Pontifical Javeriana University in Bogotá, Colombia. Thus, the priestly ordination took place on August 22, 1992.
By that act, he was formally incorporated into the Archdiocese of Mérida. Later, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Theology from the Santa Rosa de Lima University Institute.
He also earned a Bachelor's degree in Church History awarded by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Pastoral services
Before being ordained bishop, he served as a formator at the Major Seminary of Mérida. In parallel, he fulfilled functions as an advisor to the Youth Pastoral of the same archdiocese.
In the local ecclesiastical structure, he served as the administrative director of the Archiepiscopal Curia of Mérida. He also held the position of president of the school institute belonging to the Major Seminary.
Within the same institution, he served as a professor and rector. In the parish sphere, he took on the responsibility as pastor of Our Lady of the Rule.
Additionally, he worked as rector of the temple Our Lady of Amparo. He participated as a member and secretary of the Presbyteral Council of the archdiocese.
He served as an advisor to the archdiocesan Union of the Brotherhoods of the Most Holy Sacrament. He also served as chaplain to the Dominican Sisters of Santa Rosa de Lima in Mérida.
He was part of the College of Consultants and the Metropolitan Chapter of Mérida. Currently, he serves as president of the Episcopal Commission for Culture and Cultural Heritage within the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference.
Until on April 17, 2015, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of El Vigía-San Carlos del Zulia.
