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Diocese of Bluefields

Roman Catholic diocese in Nicaragua

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 16, 2026
Entity authorityQ620257 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Diocese of Bluefields (Latin: Dioecesis Bluefieldensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. The Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields had been erected on December 2, 1913 and had grown to approximately 587,000 Catholics by 2017. On November 30, 2017 the Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields was elevated to a diocese and a second diocese (the Diocese of Siuna) was created, taking approximately 60% of the Catholics that had formerly been in the Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields. The current bishop is Francisco José Tigerino Dávila.

History

February 12, 1913: Established as Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields, on territory split off from the Diocese of León in Nicaragua

November 30, 2017: Lost territory to establish the Diocese of Siuna

November 30, 2017: Elevated as to the status of diocese

Ordinaries

Agustín José Bernaus y Serra, OFMCap (1913–1930)

Juan Solá y Farrell, OFMCap (1931–1942)

Matteo Aloisio Niedhammer y Yaeckle, OFMCap (1943–1970)

Salvador Albert Schlaefer Berg, OFMCap (1970–1993)

Pablo Ervin Schmitz Simon, OFMCap (1994–2020)

Francisco José Tigerino Dávila (2020– )

Auxiliary bishops

Pablo Ervin Schmitz Simon, OFMCap (1984-1994), appointed Vicar Apostolic here

David Albin Zywiec Sidor, OFMCap (2002–2017)

See also

Roman Catholic dioceses of Nicaragua

External links

"Vicariate Apostolic of Bluefields". Catholic-Hierarchy. Archived from the original on 4 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-03.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Diocese of Bluefields” as roman Catholic diocese in Nicaragua. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Diocese, Bluefields and Roman.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1913, 2017, 1930, 1931—that can be checked directly. The authority record carries competing date values—1913-12-02, 2017-11-30—which should remain separate until their references and qualifiers are resolved. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Diocese, Bluefields and Roman providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Diocese of Bluefields”, the useful work is to connect “roman Catholic diocese in Nicaragua” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q620257. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1913, 2017, 1930 and 1931.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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  2. Expand the search: follow Diocese of Bluefields primary sources, Diocese of Bluefields archive and Diocese research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Diocese of Bluefields” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.