José Telésforo Paúl y Vargas, SJ (5 January 1831 – 8 April 1889) was a Colombian Catholic bishop and Jesuit who worked in Panama and Colombia.

[3][4] After studying at the Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Paúl entered the Society of Jesus at age 13 at their house in Popayán.

[4] In 1850, already a teacher at the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé in Bogotá, he went into exile with other Jesuits due to the Society's persecution by General Hilario Lopez.

"[4] In addition, he paid special attention to providing religious care to residents of the Panama Canal Zone, dividing it into three different districts and ensuring the regular visit of Panamanian priests.

[4] Paúl made pastoral visits through the diocese several times, and worked to establish schools and hospitals, and invited the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul to staff many of them.

[4] He wrote pastoral letters, which encouraged evangelism and Catholic education, condemned the conflict of liberalism with Catholicism, and addressed the relationship between church and state.