The banishment of a bishop. The exile of friar Ramón Moreno y Castañeda from Baja California in 1876

Abstract

This paper follows the career of Ramón Moreno y Castañeda, a Carmelite who, during the second half of the 19th century, served as vicar of Baja Ca­lifornia and bishop of Chiapas. The research focuses its banishment of Baja California in 1876. The exile was key in his life because it earned him recog­nition in the United States, Spain and Rome as a persecuted bishop. However, the image of a persecuted religious contrasts with the many of testimonies that place him as a problematic bishop, not only for the political authorities but for the church itself.