Leonidas Eduardo Proaño Villalba

Leonidas Proaño
Bishop of Diocese of Riobamba
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Riobamba
In office	1955 - 1985
Predecessor	Alberto Maria Ordóñez Crespo
Successor	Victor Alejandro Corral Mantilla
Orders
Ordination	29 June 1936
Consecration	26 May 1954 by Cardinal Opilio Rossi
Personal details
Born	29 January 1910 San Antonio de Ibarra,  Ecuador
Died	31 August 1988 Quito,  Ecuador
Nationality	Ecuadorian
Coat of arms

Styles of Leonidas Proaño
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Monsignor
Posthumous style	none

Leonidas Eduardo Proaño Villalba (1910 in San Antonio de Ibarra, Ecuador – 1988 in Quito, Ecuador) was an Ecuadorian priest and theologian. He served as the bishop of Riobamba from 1954 to 1985. He was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize and is considered one of the most important figures in Ecuadorian liberation theology.

Proaño was ordained as a priest in 1936 and soon became interested in the latest trends Catholic social doctrine. Within the Ibarra diocese, he created the Juventud Obrera Cristiana (Christian Youth Workers). He was named bishop of Riobamba in 1954. From his cathedral in Riobamba, he fought constantly to introduce social justice in relations with indigenous people and to promote indigenous access to public life and political power (he thus became known as "the bishop of the Indians").

He enthusiastically adopted the thesis of liberation theology. In 1960, he created the Escuelas Radiofónicas Populares, with a clear educational goal. In 1962, he created the Center of Studies and Social Action to aid the development of indigenous communities. In 1973, he was accused of guerrilla warfare and had to stand trial in Rome, but he was cleared of all charges. In 1976, he was jailed during the dictatorship of Guillermo Rodríguez Lara.

In 1985, he renounced the bishopric and was named president of the Pastoral Indígena.

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