The Military Bishopric in El Salvador is a military ordinariate

Military ordinariate

A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church, of Latin or Eastern Rite, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation....

 of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. Immediately subject to the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

, it provides pastoral care

Pastoral care

Pastoral care is the ministry of care and counseling provided by pastors, chaplains and other religious leaders to members of their church or congregation, or to persons of all faiths and none within institutional settings. This can range anywhere from home visitation to formal counseling provided...

 to Roman Catholics serving in the Armed Forces of El Salvador and their families.

History

It was established as a military vicariate on 25 March 1968, with the first military vicar appointment on 4 November 1968. It was elevated to a military ordinariate on 21 July 1986.

Military vicars

• José Eduardo Alvarez Ramírez, C.M. (appointed 4 November 1968 – became military ordinary 21 July 1986)

Military ordinaries

• José Eduardo Alvarez Ramírez, C.M. (appointed 21 July 1986 – resigned 7 March 1987)
• Roberto Joaquín Ramos Umaña (appointed 7 March 1987 – died 23 June 1993)
• Fabio Reynaldo Colindres Abarca (current incumbent, appointed 2 February 2008)