The Bishop Emeritus of Rancagua, Monsignor Alejandro Goic Karmelicis in delicate state of health. He 85 -year religious remains admitted to the Isamédica Clinic of the regional capitalafter entering the urgency this Friday, August 29.
The bishopric of Rancagua issued a statement to inform about his situation. The institution pointed out that Monsignor Goic “is under medical observation and receiving the necessary care”In the health center.
Likewise, the ecclesiastical authorities called on the Diocesan community to be united by the Lord, asking for the prompt recovery and strength of Monsignor Goic in this delicate health moment. “
The text included a special petition “to the parishes, religious and faithful communities in general, to offer prayers and Eucharist for its prompt improvement.”
Check the statement of the bishopric of Rancagua by health status of Bishop Emeritus Alejandro Goic:
Communication
The bishopric of Rancagua informs that today, Friday, August 29, Monsignor Alejandro Goic Karmelic, Obispo Emeritus of Rancagua, entered the Isamédic Clinic urgently.
Monsignor Alejandro Goic was a bishop of the Diocese of Rancagua between 2004 and 2018, and is currently under medical observation and receiving the necessary care.
The bishopric invites the entire diocesan community to join the Lord in prayer, asking for the prompt and strength of Monsignor Goic in this delicate health moment.
We especially ask the parishes, religious and faithful communities in general, to offer prayers and Eucharist for their prompt improvement.
Communications Department
Bishopric of RancaguaRancagua, August 29, 2025
Farewell marked by the crisis
Recall that Monsignor Goic directed the Diocese of Rancagua for fourteen years, from 2004 to 2018. His resignation to the pastoral government of the diocese was accepted by Pope Francis on the morning of July 10, 2018.
The bishop himself referred to his departure at a press conference at that time. “Today we have known the acceptance of Pope Francis to the resignation I presented when he turned 75, in 2015. The Holy Father has wanted my brother Bishop Fernando Ramos to assume as an apostolic administrator of this diocese,” said Monsignor Alejandro Goic.
In that same farewell, the prelate emotionally addressed the circumstances that surrounded its exit. “At the time of the farewell, I want to open my heart to the people of God that constitutes this beloved diocese. You know that I have always tried to testify to what my episcopal motto expresses, ‘Christ is my life’ (…) That is why the painful circumstances that the diocesan church lives, imprise a bitter taste at this moment.”
His departure coincided with an internal investigation that he ordered. In May 2018, the prelate suspended 14 priests from its functions to determine whether they would have incurred “sexual abuse, improper behaviors and administrative disorders”.
A life of service and social defense of Monsignor Alejandro Goic
Monsignor Goic’s trajectory always showed a strong commitment to social justice. Ordered priest in 1966 in Punta Arenas, served as pastor and chaplain of the local penitentiary. Even He participated in church efforts to avoid a war conflict between Chile and Argentina in 1978.
John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Concepción in 1979, receiving his episcopal ordination in the Vatican. His sensitivity for social issues led him to visit Lota’s coal mines in the 1980s to learn about the demands of workers, which earned him the Nickname “Red Bishop”.
His legacy in Rancagua includes important milestones. In 2007, it was a key factor in the conflict negotiations of the subcontractor workers of Codelco. A few weeks later, He proposed to replace the minimum wage with an “ethical salary” not less than $ 250,000, an idea that resonated throughout the political and social sphere of the countryRancagüino consigned.
He also officiated as a facilitator of dialogue between the government and the Mapuche Patricia Troncoso political dam during his 112 -day hunger strike in 2008. He also presided over the Episcopal Conference of Chile in two periods and led the National Council for the Prevention of Abuse against Minors until May 2018, when he resigned to devote himself to the investigation in his diocese.
