He was born on January 14, 1928, in the Ancash city of Yungay, in a deeply Catholic home made up of his parents Alfredo and Luisa.

In 1970, due to the earthquake that destroyed a large part of the department of Ancash on May 31, he was appointed a member of the committee for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected areas.

In May 1971, Bambarén boldly defended the right to housing of thousands of land occupants in Pamplona, in Lima, who after sustaining a confrontation with the Civil Guard and Police[3] on May 4, they were relocated to sandy deserts in the south of the city on May 16, giving birth to the current District of Villa El Salvador; his support for these settlers led to their arrest, which was publicly rectified by the head of the military government junta, General Juan Velasco Alvarado, before the citizen protest, proceeding to remove the then Minister of the Interior, General Armando Artola Azcárate.

"[citation needed] Appointed Bishop of Chimbote on June 8, 1978, he assumed office on July 25 of the same year.

Faced with an imminent institutional crisis, he advised President Alejandro Toledo to recognize his daughter Saraí, a lady from Piura.