Archbishop Morel takes helm of massive Caribbean archdiocese

October 13, 2026

Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Archbishop Francisco Ozoria Acosta from the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on October 12, just two days after the prelate’s 75th birthday.

Archbishop Ozoria was succeeded by Archbishop Carlos Tomás Morel Diplán, 56, the archdiocese’s coadjutor archbishop since last October.

The Archdiocese of Santo Domingo is massive: it retained 2.54 million Catholics after Pope Leo divided it in August 2025. In a December 2024 homily, Morel said that his top priorities were “the defense of life from conception to natural death, the strengthening and protection of marriages and the family; secondly, the creation of a vocational culture and listening to one another; and thirdly, the strengthening of catechesis.”

In November 2025, the Vatican removed Archbishop Ozoria’s responsibility “for the administration of diocesan assets, for economic and financial matters and for the management of the clergy and church personnel,” and entrusted authority over these areas to Archbishop Morel.

On October 12, Pope Leo also accepted Archbishop Ozoria’s resignation from the pastoral care of the nation’s military ordinariate, and named Archbishop Morel the military ordinary.

 

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Further information:

• Resignations and Appointments (Holy See Press Office, 10/12/26)
• Archbishop in Dominican Republic stripped of governing role (CWN, 11/14/25)
• Archbishop appointed for massive Caribbean see; described defense of life, marriage as top priority (CWN, 10/18/25)
• Pope splits up massive archdiocese in Dominican Republic (CWN, 8/28/25)