Roman Catholic Diocese of Ciudad del Este

Diocese of Ciudad del Este Dioecesis Urbis Orientalis
Location
Country	Paraguay
Metropolitan	Asunción
Statistics
Area
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2004) 600,100 590,000 (98.3%)
Information
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Cathedral	Catedral San Blas
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Heinz Wilhelm (Guillermo) Steckling, O.M.I.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ciudad del Este (Latin: Dioecesis Urbis Orientalis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church based in the city of Ciudad del Este, in the Ecclesiastical Province of Asunción in Paraguay.

History

• On March 25, 1968, the Territorial Prelature of Alto Paraná was established from the Territorial Prelature of Encarnación y Alto Paraná
• On July 10, 1993, the territorial prelature was established as the Diocese of Alto Paraná
• February 3, 2001, the diocese as renamed as the Diocese of Ciudad del Este

The diocese became noted in 2014 due to the ouster of its bishop, Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, by Pope Francis for his alleged promotion of a priest of the diocese who had been accused of the sexual abuse of a minor while serving in the United States. Livieres was then barred from presiding at public celebrations of the Mass. Since then, accusations of major financial mismanagement of the finances of the diocese by Livieres have also surfaced, with the diocese reportedly close to a million United States dollars in debt.

Leadership

• Bishops of Ciudad del Este (Latin Church)
  • Heinz Wilhelm Steckling, O.M.I. (15 November 2014-)
  • Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, Opus Dei (July 12, 2004 – September 25, 2014)
  • Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre, S.C.I. (February 3, 2001 – July 12, 2004)
• Bishops of Alto Paraná (Latin Church)
  • Oscar Páez Garcete (July 10, 1993 – February 5, 2000)
• Prelates of Alto Paraná (Latin Church)
  • Eustaquio Pastor Cuquejo Verga, C.Ss.R. (later Archbishop of Asunción) (April 19, 1990 – May 5, 1992)
  • Augustín Van Aaken, S.V.D. (July 25, 1972 – April 19, 1990)
  • Francisco Cedzich, S.V.D. (May 11, 1968 – December 23, 1971)

References

• GCatholic.org
• Catholic Hierarchy