Chirivella Valera was born in
Venezuela and was ordained to the priesthood in 1956. He served as bishop of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Margarita, Venezuela, from 1974 to 1982 and as archbishop of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, from 1982 to 2007. He was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Maracaibo by John Paul II on June 28, 1999, a position he held until 2001. On December 22, 2007,
Pope Benedict XVI took office. He gave up his position due to age-related reasons. Monsignor Antonio José López Castillo succeeded him. After his retirement, he settled in
Miami, United States, until his death from
COVID-19 on 10 April 2021, at the age of 88. ==Notes==