Juan Fremiot Torres Oliver

Juan Fremiot Torres Oliver^{[note 1]} (28 October 1925 – 26 January 2012)^[1] was the longest-serving bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico, with 36 years of service.

Priesthood and episcopacy

Torres Oliver was ordained priest in Ponce at age 24, on 10 April 1950. He was appointed bishop of Ponce on 4 November 1964 at age 39, and six weeks later, on 21 December 1964 he was ordained bishop of the Ponce diocese. He retired as bishop of Ponce at age 75, on 10 November 2000, after a 36-year career. He was a bishop emeritus of the diocese of Ponce.^[2]

From 1983 to 1994, Torres Oliver was president of the Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña, CEP (Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference).^[3]

One of Torres Oliver's most controversial decisions was the one he made in early January 1974. At the death of Isabel la Negra he refused to admit her body into the Ponce Cathedral or to administer her the holy sacraments posthumously.^[4]

Legacy

The School of Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico is named after him.^[5]

Death

Torres Oliver died in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on 26 January 2012,^[6] the result of a heart attack.^[7] His remains will be rest at the Catedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Ponce.^[8]

References

Notes

1. ↑
   This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Torres and the second or maternal family name is Oliver.