Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Sebastián Chico Martínez as bishop of the diocese of Jaén, transferring him from the titular see of Valliposita and from the office of auxiliary of Cartagena.
The appointment comes after the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Jaén, Spain, presented by Bishop Amadeo Rodríguez Magro.
Bishop Sebastián Chico Martínez was born on May 12, 1968 in Cehegín, province of Murcia and diocese of Cartagena. He graduated in technical engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena. He entered the major seminary of San Fulgencio in 1995, where he studied philosophy and theology, obtaining a baccalaureate in theology.
He was ordained a priest on July 7, 2001.
Since priestly ordination he has served as parish vicar of San Francisco Javier in Murcia (2001-2003), parish priest of Santiago Apóstol and San Isidoro in Cartagena (2003-2010), parish priest of Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Santomera (2010-2011), episcopal vicar (2010-2011), rector of the minor and major seminaries (2011-2019), canon of the Cathedral and member of the College of Consultors (2016-2019).
On February 20, 2019, he was appointed as auxiliary bishop of Cartagena and consecrated the following May 11. Within the Episcopal Conference, he has served as a member of the Episcopal Commission for Seminaries and Universities (2019-2020), and since 2020 he has been a member of the Commission for Clergy and Seminaries.
