The Church announces this Monday the name of the New Bishop of the Diocese of the province of Tenerife who will succeed Bernardo Álvarez Palmer. The two dioceses of the Canary Islands issued an official notice to the media on Sunday.
This Sunday, press releases were dispatched in anticipation of the announcement by the interim bishop of the province of Tenerife, Antonio Pérez, alongside the bishop of Las Palmas, José Mazuelos, regarding “An important announcement”. According to the communications from both dioceses, this aligns with prayers held across all Churches in the Canary Islands for the recovery of Pope Francis, who is currently in a critical condition due to respiratory issues.
Notably, the service held this Sunday at the cathedral of La Laguna included prayers for the Pope’s recovery and was officiated by the interim Bishop of Tenerife, Antonio Pérez.
On September 16, 2024, Bernardo Álvarez Afonso (born July 29, 1949, in Breña Baja, La Palma) officially ceased to be the bishop of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In a statement, the Spanish Episcopal Conference announced Pope Francis’ acceptance of Álvarez’s resignation. The Palmer cleric had submitted his resignation two months earlier, on July 29, 2024, coinciding with his 75th birthday.
Álvarez adhered to the Code of Canon Law, specifically the norms governing the Latin Catholic Church’s organisation. Article 401.1 states: “The diocesan bishop who has turned seventy-five years of age is to present the resignation of his office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will consider all circumstances.”
Bernardo Álvarez, during the Christ of the Lagoon celebrations in 2024, marking his final official act as the bishop of Tenerife. / Arturo Jiménez
Bernardo Álvarez stepped down from his role as the leader of the Nivarian diocese after 19 years of service. He was appointed bishop on June 29, 2005, received episcopal ordination on September 4 of that same year in the cathedral of La Laguna, and took canonical possession of the Nivariense diocese that same day.
A succession process was subsequently initiated, with Álvarez opting for the quickest protocol to appoint a new prelate before Christmas. The reason stems from his illness, ELA, which renders him unable to continue serving as interim bishop. In fact, Bernardo Álvarez could have remained in office until his successor was appointed, but he chose to expedite the process and vacate his position due to his serious condition.
Just two days following the announcement of Álvarez’s departure, on September 18, 2024, his right hand, Antonio Manuel Pérez Morales, who was born in Santa Cruz de la Palma 58 years ago, was appointed interim bishop of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The priest, who was greatly trusted by Bernardo Álvarez, took charge of leading the Tenerife Church’s hierarchy and overseeing the process that will result in the announcement of the new bishop this Monday, albeit later than initially expected.
The procedure for the selection, regulated by the Vatican, commenced with a commission by Pope Francis to the Nuncio in Spain—his ambassador—to begin efforts for proposing candidates. The Spanish nuncio, Bernardito Auza, presented the candidate list to the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome, which is responsible for the selection process. The name will be revealed this Monday at 1:00.
