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José Garibi y Rivera

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José Mariano Garibi y Rivera (January 30, 1889 – May 27, 1972) was a Mexican Catholic cardinal and the Archbishop of Guadalajara. He was the first Mexican to become a cardinal.

Early life and education
Born in Guadalajara, he studied at the local seminary and Colegio del Señor San José. He briefly joined the Franciscan order but left after a year. He then studied theology and philosophy at the Guadalajara Seminary and later went to Rome to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University (1913–1916), earning a doctorate in theology and a licentiate in canon law. He also taught Latin at the Guadalajara Seminary from 1911 to 1913.

Priesthood and exile
Garibi was ordained a priest in 1912. In 1929, during a government crackdown on the Catholic Church in Mexico, the Archbishop of Guadalajara, José Francisco Orozco y Jiménez, was expelled. Garibi accompanied him into exile in the United States. While in Rome, he was named titular bishop of Rhosus and auxiliary bishop of Guadalajara (appointed December 16, 1929) and was consecrated on May 7, 1930, after returning to Mexico.

Rise to leadership
He became Vicar General of the archdiocese in 1933, was named titular Archbishop of Bizya and coadjutor Archbishop of Guadalajara, and succeeded as Archbishop of Guadalajara on February 18, 1936. He also served as President of the Mexican Bishops' Conference for six terms (1960–1963).

Cardinal and later years
Pope John XXIII created him Cardinal Priest of Sant’Onofrio on December 15, 1958. He participated in the 1963 conclave that elected Pope Paul VI. Garibi resigned as archbishop on March 1, 1969, and became Archbishop Emeritus. He died on May 27, 1972, from pulmonary edema and was buried in Guadalajara Cathedral.


This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:46 (CET).