Adalberto Martínez Flores was born in Asunción, Paraguay, on 8 July 1951. He studied at the Faculty of Economics of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción and at the University of Washington (1970-1977), then completed philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome (1977-1981). He was ordained a priest on 24 August 1985 and served in the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands from 1985 to 1994. Incardinated in Asunción in 1994, he was pastor of Los Sagrados Corazones de Jesús y María until 1997.
He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Asunción on 14 August 1997 and consecrated a bishop on 8 November 1997. On 18 May 2000 he became the first bishop of the new Diocese of San Lorenzo; he was transferred to San Pedro on 19 February 2007 and appointed Military Ordinary of Paraguay on 14 March 2012. On 23 June 2018 he was transferred to Villarrica del Espíritu Santo and named apostolic administrator of the Military Ordinariate. Elected president of the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay in November 2018, he was re-elected in November 2021. On 17 February 2022 Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Asunción.
Pope Francis created him a cardinal in the consistory of 27 August 2022, assigning him the titular church of San Giovanni a Porta Latina; he is the first cardinal from Paraguay and serves as a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. His public preaching in Asunción has repeatedly addressed corruption, organized crime and the gap between professed faith and public life. He participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
Consequential Quotes
Furthermore, many of those who commit or tolerate acts of corruption and those who promote impunity are baptized Catholics and this situation should put us to the test. We Bishops, clergy, consecrated life and lay people need to examine our conscience on our evangelization.
The great challenge is to face the difficult reality of society, which is increasingly violent, according to the Christian faith of the baptized in the world. The Social Doctrine of the Church is a precious tool for transforming politics, economy, culture and education, to be builders of justice and peace.
Let us not forget that the Church must evangelize. The objective is not the Church, it is the Kingdom of God and his Justice. And we must be docile instruments so that the Kingdom of God arrives and transforms temporal realities so that our people may have full life and life in abundance in him.
In this situation of lost moral values and the public incoherence between the lives of the baptized and faith in Christ, the Church has its share of responsibility. This rift between the faith and the life of many of the baptized shows that the values of the Gospel have not permeated the criteria of judgment and the conscience of the baptized. We recognize with humility that our evangelization has been insufficient or deficient.
There can be no true and stable democracy without social justice, without a real division of powers, and without an effective social state under the rule of law.
Let us preserve ourselves from corruption, from an excessive appetite for power, from avarice and greed; let us practice justice and live according to the values invoked by our National Anthem: 'Neither oppressors nor servants are nourished where union and equality reign.'
Major Works & Initiatives
First Bishop of San Lorenzo
Appointed on 18 May 2000 as the founding bishop of the newly erected Diocese of San Lorenzo, serving until his transfer to San Pedro in 2007.
Military Ordinary of Paraguay
Appointed Military Ordinary on 14 March 2012; after his 2018 transfer to Villarrica he continued as apostolic administrator of the Military Ordinariate.
President of the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay
Elected president of the Paraguayan bishops' conference in November 2018 and re-elected in November 2021 for a second three-year term.
Member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America
Roman membership recorded in his Holy See Press Office biography following his creation as cardinal on 27 August 2022.
Controversies
On the record
No significant public controversies reported.