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Jesús José Herrera Quiñónez

Bishop of Culiacán
Bishop
1961
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Ordained
—
Consecrated Bishop
Culiacán
Diocese
Mexico
Country
The Life

Jesús José Herrera Quiñónez was born on 20 December 1961 in Mexicali and was ordained a priest on 20 December 1987. He studied philosophy at the seminary of Morelia and theology at the seminary of Tijuana, and took a licentiate in marriage and family studies at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Rome. As a priest of Mexicali he served as a seminary formator and as parish priest in various parishes; at his appointment to Culiacán he headed the Life Sector of the Episcopal Commission for Family, Youth, Adolescence, the Laity, and Life of the Episcopal Conference of Mexico.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Nuevo Casas Grandes on 27 October 2011, and he received episcopal consecration on 15 December 2011. Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Culiacán on 21 September 2023, accepting the resignation of Jonás Guerrero Corona the same day; he was installed at Culiacán on 23 November 2023.

In November 2023, as director of the bishops' ministry for life matters, he signed the Episcopal Conference of Mexico statement opposing a proposed General Health Law reform to allow euthanasia; the statement is a conference act, not a personal pastoral letter. On 13 September 2026, after two years of fighting between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, he convened a march for peace in Culiacán and celebrated Mass outside the cathedral, preaching against the violence.

Major Works & Initiatives
Suspension of public Mass during COVID-19, Nuevo Casas Grandes
Reported decision of 17 March 2020, suspending the public celebration of Mass, including Sundays, with each priest continuing to celebrate daily Mass without the presence of lay faithful; reported by ACI Prensa, 20 March 2020. The full diocesan text was not located.
In His Own Words
Culiacán cannot get used to the pain, nor allow fear to rob us of hope ... No power, no money, no territory and no ambition is worth more than human life.
Peace-march homily, Mass outside Culiacán cathedral, 13 September 2026; reported by OSV News via The Catholic Virginian, 21 September 2026. Two fragments from the homily, 30 words in total; the intervening passage addressing cartel combatants is omitted.
The mere possibility of euthanasia already eliminates all hope, and without it, human beings lose the meaning of life ... Let us not lose our humanity with actions that dehumanize us
Episcopal Conference of Mexico statement opposing a proposed euthanasia initiative, dated 27 November 2023, signed by Herrera Quinonez as director of the bishops' ministry for life matters; reported by OSV News via Catholic Review, 2023. A conference statement he signed, not a solo-authored work; two fragments, 30 words in total.
The Old Mass, See by See
Culiacán2023-11-23 – presentNo act of his own
What he inheritedNo provision for the 1962 Missal inherited from Jonas Guerrero Corona is established in the record.
Since the SSPX decree of 2 July 2026: No statement recorded as of 2026-10-28.
Reviewed 2026-10-28Confidence: medium
Nuevo Casas Grandes2011-12-15 – 2023-11-23No act of his own
What he inheritedNo provision for the 1962 Missal from his tenure at Nuevo Casas Grandes in the Traditionis custodes window is established in the record. His possession or installation date at Nuevo Casas Grandes, distinct from his consecration, was not established and is not equated with it.
Since the SSPX decree of 2 July 2026: No statement recorded as of 2026-10-28.
Reviewed 2026-10-28Confidence: medium
Domus Dei’s Verdict
The Bishop & the Mass of Ages
No governing act of his own found
References & Further Reading
1.
Rinunce e nomine, 21 September 2023 — Holy See Press Office · 2023Appointment to Culiacan 21 September 2023, accepting the resignation of Jonas Guerrero Corona; CV: born 20 December 1961, Mexicali; philosophy at Morelia, theology at Tijuana; licentiate in marriage and family studies, Pontifical John Paul II Institute; seminary formator and parish priest; head of the Life Sector of the Episcopal Commission for Family, Youth, Adolescence, the Laity, and Life; appointed Bishop of Nuevo Casas Grandes 27 October 2011, receiving episcopal consecration the following 15 December. The same CV prints the date 20 December 1987 with the label 'episcopal ordination'; that label is impossible alongside the 2011 consecration and is read here as a mislabel for priestly ordination, the date being carried as printed.
2.
Year 2023, November, Bishop Events — Catholic-Hierarchy · 2023Installed as Bishop of Culiacan 23 November 2023. The roster cites Spanish Wikipedia for the same date, flagged spine-only and needing a diocesan second source; this listing corroborates the installation date. Appointment 21 September 2023 must not be substituted for possession.
3.
Mexican priest killed 2 days after cries for a halt to violence — OSV News via The Catholic Virginian · 2026Published 21 September 2026. Herrera Quinonez convened a march for peace on 13 September 2026 and celebrated Mass outside Culiacan cathedral; homily fragments quoted verbatim.
4.
Mexican Catholics condemn euthanasia initiative — OSV News via Catholic Review · 2023CEM statement dated 27 November 2023 opposing a proposed General Health Law reform to allow euthanasia, signed by Herrera Quinonez as director of the bishops' ministry for life matters. A conference statement, not a personal pastoral letter and not a Traditionis custodes act.
5.
Coronavirus en México: ¿En qué diócesis hay Misas públicas y en cuáles no? — ACI Prensa via Agencia Católica de Noticias de México · 2020ACI Prensa roundup, 20 March 2020. As Bishop of Nuevo Casas Grandes, Herrera Quinonez announced on 17 March 2020 the suspension of public Mass, including Sundays.
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