Archbishop Gabriel Antonio Mestre stood down as the Metropolitan Archbishop of La Plata May 27, at the age of 55, two decades ahead of the typical retirement age for diocesan bishops. Mestre had previously served as bishop of the similarly named Diocese of Mar del Plata from 2017 to 2023, when he was named Archbishop of La Plata, succeeding the now Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief.