The Guadalajara Weekly.- On the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, celebrated this June 29, Pope Leo XIV presided over the Eucharist at St. Peter’s Basilica and conferred the pallium on 35 metropolitan Archbishops from various countries, including the Mexican Msgr. José Armando Álvarez Cano, Archbishop of Morelia.
During his homily, the Holy Father emphasized that the Apostles Peter and Paul were “pillars of the Church” and described them as “architects of unity, generous servants of truth in charity,” inviting the Shepherds to live their ministry with the same spirit of communion and service.
Msgr. José Armando Álvarez Cano was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Morelia on January 25, 2025 by Pope Francis. Following the acceptance of the resignation of Msgr. Carlos Garfias, Pope Leo XIV named him Metropolitan Archbishop of Morelia on January 19, 2026.
A native of Jiquilpan, Michoacán, he was born on January 30, 1960. He is the third of ten siblings and entered the Zamora Seminary at the age of twelve. He was ordained a priest on February 8, 1986.
He earned a licentiate in Pastoral Theology from the Pontifical University of Mexico, graduating with summa cum laude honors.
Between 1992 and 1994 he served as a Fidei Donum missionary priest in the Diocese of Tacna, Peru—an experience that profoundly shaped his pastoral vision. Upon returning to Mexico, he served for nine years as Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Ministry in the Diocese of Zamora and as a professor at the Major Seminary.
He also contributed regularly to the diocesan newspaper and, before his arrival in Morelia, served as Bishop of the Diocese of Tampico.
At the national level, he chaired the Episcopal Dimension for Missions of the Mexican Episcopal Conference from 2018 to 2021. He also carried out a mission in Kenya, where he accompanied the Missionaries of Guadalupe.
The Archdiocese of Morelia, erected in 1863, is the seat of the ecclesiastical province that comprises the dioceses of Apatzingán, Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Tacámbaro, and Zamora; therefore, the new pallium received by Msgr. Álvarez Cano holds special significance for that particular Church.