Julio Terrazas Sandoval

Who is Julio Terrazas Sandoval?

Julio Terrazas Sandoval is a Cardinal Priest and Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in the Roman Catholic Church.

Born in Vallegrande, Bolivia, Terrazas Sandoval was ordained a priest in 1962. He earned a degree in social ministry in France. In Bolivia, he was superior of the Vallegrande Redemptorist community before being appointed Auxiliary of La Paz in 1978. He was later transferred to Oruro in 1982. He chaired the Episcopal Commission on the Laity, Youth and Vocations, has been a member of CELAM's Commission on the Laity, and has been elected President of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference on several occasions.

Appointed Archbishop of Santa Cruz in 1991, Terrazas Sandoval was proclaimed Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on 21 February 2001. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI, and also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that selected Pope Francis.

Pope Francis accepted his resignation, in accord with Canon 401.1 of the Latin-rite Code of Canon Law, on Saturday, May 25, 2013. He was immediately succeeded as Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra by his Coadjutor Archbishop, Sergio Alfredo Gualberti Calandrina.