Guillermo José Garlatti

Who is Guillermo José Garlatti?

Guillermo José Garlatti is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bahía Blanca. He was born in Forgaria nel Fiurle, Udine, Northern Italy on July 12, 1940. His parents moved with him to La Plata, Argentina when he was a child, where he completed his primary and secondary education. He is fluent in Spanish, Italian and Latin.

He studied at the local seminary, and was ordained as a priest on July 5, 1964 at St. Cajetan Church. He obtained a degree in Theology at Universidad Católica Argentina and served as Prefect at St. Joseph Seminary.

He moved to Jerusalem where he completed biblical studies, which he then taught at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.

He was ordained a bishop in 1994 with title to the ancient see at Acque Regie and serving as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of La Plata. On February 20, 1997 he was named Bishop of the Diocese of San Rafael in Mendoza Province, Argentina.

On March 11, 2003 he was named Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bahía Blanca succeeding Rómulo García, taking his seat on May 10, 2004. He is an active member of the Argentine National Episcopal Conference. His pallium was imposed by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square, the Vatican on June 28, 2004 in a formal Mass of Imposition. His predecessors were Archbishops Rómulo García, Jorge Mayer, Germiniano Esorto and Leandro B. Astelarra, first Archbishop of Bahía Blanca.