in mid-1984 and Pope John Paul II made him the new Bishop of Arauca which he formed from the vicariate. His formal enthronement was celebrated before the apostolic nuncio Angelo Acerbi on 21 September 1984. The bishop championed the rights of the poor and unrepresented and espoused the view that all had the right to a voice. He also was known for being a shepherd who cared about the spiritual needs of his flock and who fought against social injustice. On 30 September 1989 he met with archdiocesan officials in the afternoon for the coordination of new content for the next edition of the diocesan newsletter. On 1 October at 7:00am he went to a local parish in another town and arrived there at 9:00am before celebrating a Mass at around 11:00am for baptisms that had been planned. He had lunch following this and went to rest. Jaramillo's death came on 2 October 1989 at around 7:00pm after the E.L.N. leftist rebels kidnapped and tortured him before killing him though his priest companion Jose Munoz Pareja was released prior to his murder unharmed. His constant criticisms of the rebels' actions led them to decide on killing him as well as the fact that Jaramillo's mediation efforts were unacceptable to them since it was believed a Church-State deal would exclude them. The pair were kidnapped while making several parish visits on 2 October at around 3:30pm after three armed men intercepted their vehicle. His companion was released unharmed not long after their kidnapping at 6:30pm after the men stopped the car and forced Pareja to leave. Pareja did not wish to leave his bishop but Jaramillo asked him to do so out of obedience. Jaramillo was shot twice in the head with an assault rifle with his hands tied behind his back. His remains were discovered on the morning of 3 October in a rural area near the Venezuelan border as peasants discovered him. The Cardinal Archbishop of Bogotá Mario Revollo Bravo told RCN Radio that there was "no explanation" for the killing that "caused profound pain". John Paul II sent an official telegram of condolence on 4 October expressing his "profound sorrow" over the assassination which he deemed to be the product of "unjustifiable violence". The Colombian Episcopal Conference referred to the assassination as "vile, sacrilegious and pitiless". His funeral was celebrated on 5 October. However, according to recent claims