TORIBIO, ALFONSO DE MOGROVEJO, saint. – Born in 1538 (?), died on 23 March 1606.
He studied law at the University of Salamanca; in 1575 he became president of the « Consejo de la Inquisición en Granada », thereby entering into relations with Philip II, who appointed him successor to the archbishop of Lima, Jeronimo de Loaysa, O. P., who had died in 1575. On 9 March 1579 he was preconized in Rome by Pope Gregory XIII and confirmed on the 16th of the same month. Ordained a priest at Granada and consecrated bishop at Seville in 1580, he went to South America. Immediately upon his arrival, with the assistance of the viceroy Martin Henriquez, he held the first diocesan Synod of Lima in 1582, and then sought to convene a provincial Council of all South America which, under his direction, took place in 1583 as the Third Provincial Council of Lima and was of capital importance for the entire subsequent development of the Church in South America. Two further provincial Councils followed this one, in 1591 and 1601; in addition, he celebrated ten diocesan synods. With great apostolic frankness he defended the rights of the Church against the civil power and against Philip II of Spain himself, as well as the rights of the bishop against the privileges of religious orders. With great zeal he promoted the missions among the Indians, personally visited his vast diocese three times, and died during the third visitation in the Valley of Pacasmagno. He was beatified in 1679 and canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726. Feast day: 23 March and 27 April.