This Saturday morning, December 6, the Mexican Episcopal Conference announced the resignation of the bishop of the diocese of Cancún-Chetumal, Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas, appointing as his new bishop, Salvador González Morales, auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Mexico, which marks the end of the presence of the Legionaries of Christ, the congregation that founded that diocese.
The second residential bishop of Cancún-Chetumal, Salvador González Morales, 53 years old, assumes as the third residential bishop of this diocese. Born in Mexico City on December 20, 1971, Mons. González Morales has a vast academic formation and extensive experience in ecclesial service. He studied Food Engineering at the National Polytechnic Institute (1989-1993), before entering the seminary. He obtained bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy (1997) and Theology (2001) at the Pontifical University of Mexico, and a licentiate in Systematic Philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (2002-2004), culminating with another licentiate at the Higher Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies in 2005.
His ministry includes key roles as general secretary of the Higher Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies (2004-2007), prefect of discipline at the Conciliar Seminary of Mexico (2004-2007), vice-rector of the same seminary (2007-2011), chaplain of the Choir at the Basilica of Guadalupe (2011-2014), and parish priest of San Bernardino de Siena in Xochimilco (2014-2019). Since 2019, he has served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mexico, vicar general and moderator of the Curia, in addition to participating in councils of the CEM and the Pontifical University of Mexico.
Mons. Elizondo Cárdenas, member of the Legionaries of Christ, presented his resignation after a long service. Ordained bishop in 2004, he was the first bishop of the diocese after the elevation of the Prelature of Chetumal to diocese in 2020. Its territory includes the entire State of Quintana Roo, being suffragan of the Archdiocese of Yucatán. Originally erected as the Territorial Prelature of Chetumal on May 23 1970 by Pope Paul VI, through the bull Qui ad Beati Pauli, it was entrusted to the Legionaries of Christ to foster the mission in a vast and sparsely populated territory that included indigenous and coastal areas; at that time, Father Jorge Bernal Vargas, L.C., was appointed apostolic administrator of the prelature’s territory until he was ordained prelate bishop in 1974.
In its early years, the prelature faced challenges such as the shortage of priests and cultural integration, but it grew rapidly with the tourist boom in Cancún in the 70s and 80s. On November 21, 2020, after 50 years of evangelizing development, Pope Francis elevated it to a full diocese, recognizing its pastoral maturity and its role in the Ecclesiastical Province of Yucatán. Today, the diocese has more than 50 parishes, dozens of chapels, and a mixed clergy of diocesans and religious. The appointment of Morales González marks the end of the era of the Legionaries of Christ, a congregation shaken by scandals and lethargy that prevents an authentic and sincere renewal after the sexual abuses that continue to be uncovered within it.
From this blog, we wish the new bishop of Cancún-Chetumal a fruitful ministry that continues to radiate the Gospel in this part of the Mexican southeast. Congratulations!