Juan José Omella Explained

Type:Cardinal
Honorific-Prefix:His Eminence
Juan José Omella y Omella
Cardinal
Archbishop of Barcelona
Archdiocese:Barcelona
See:Barcelona
Appointed:6 November 2015
Enthroned:26 December 2015
Predecessor:Lluís Martínez Sistach
Ordination:20 September 1970
Consecration:22 September 1996
Consecrated By:Elías Yanes Alvarez
Cardinal:28 June 2017
Created Cardinal By:Pope Francis
Other Post:Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (2017–)
President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (2020–2024)
Rank:Cardinal-Priest
Birth Name:Juan José Omella y Omella
Birth Date:21 April 1946
Birth Place:Cretas, Teruel, Spain
Nationality:Spanish
Religion:Roman Catholic
Coat Of Arms:Coat of arms of Juan Jose Omella Omella.svg
Motto:Spanish; Castilian: Por la entrañable misericordia de nuestro Dios (Through the tender mercy of our God)
Juan José Omella y Omella
Dipstyle:His Eminence
Offstyle:Your Eminence
Relstyle:Archbishop

Juan José Omella y Omella (also Joan Josep; born 21 April 1946) is a Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as the archbishop of Barcelona since his installation on 26 December 2015 and as a cardinal since 28 June 2017. He was the president of the Episcopal Conference of Spain from 2020 to 2024. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Zaragoza (1996-1999) and bishop of Barbastro-Monzón (1999–2004) and Calahorra y La Calzada-Logroño (2004-2015). He is a member of the Council of Cardinals.

Biography

Juan José was born in the municipality of Cretas, Aragon. One of his sisters still lives there, while the other died at a young age.

The village priest convinced him to enter the seminary of Zaragoza. He studied at education centres for missionaries in Leuven and Jerusalem as well. On 20 September 1970 he was ordained a priest. He then worked for the church in Zaragoza and in Zaire.[1]

Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Zaragoza on 15 July 1996 and he was consecrated a bishop on 22 September by Elías Yanes Alvarez, Archbishop of Zaragoza.

John Paul II named him bishop of Barbastro-Monzón in 1999. He held the posts of Apostolic Administrator of Huesca and of Jaca from 2001 to 2003. In 2004 he was named bishop of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño.

He has been a member of the Commission of Social Ministry of the Spanish Episcopal Conference since 1996 and president of that commission from 2002 to 2008 and from 2014 to 2017.[1] On 6 November 2014, Pope Francis appointed him a member of the Congregation for Bishops.[1] According to El Periodico, Omella engineered the November 2014 early retirement of Manuel Ureña Pastor as Archbishop of Zaragoza, whom the local press later reported had mishandled a charge of harassment against one of his priests.[2] [3]

On 6 November 2015, Pope Francis appointed Omella Archbishop of Barcelona.[4] He was installed there on 26 December.[5]

On 21 May 2017, Pope Francis announced plans to make him a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 28 June 2017.[6] El Diario said the appointment made clear that Pope Francis's preferred representatives in Spain were Omella and Carlos Osoro, the Archbishop of Madrid whom Francis made a cardinal in 2016, and not the recently elected leadership of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, perceived as more conservative. It noted that Omella's appointment to the Congregation for Bishops positioned him to influence the future of church leadership in Spain. It cited as well his pastoral letters on social issues and ties to, which focuses on the problems of developing nations.[7] [8] The consistory was held on 28 June as scheduled.[9] He was created as the Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

Following the Catalan independence referendum in 2017 the Catalan government suggested that Omella and the Abbot of Montserrat should act as mediators between the region and Spanish authorities.[10]

Francis made him a member of the Congregation for Bishops and of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura on 23 December 2017.[11]

Omella is the co-author, with Miguel Pothoes Mombiela and José María Navarro, of La aurora de Calanda, una antigua institución, published in 1991.[12]

On 7 March 2023, Pope Francis appointed him to the Council of Cardinal Advisors.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Entre los nuevos cardenales está Mons. Omella, obispo de Barcelona. 11 June 2017. Zenit. 22 May 2017 . es.
  2. News: El arzobispo Omella dirigió la trama para defenestrar a Ureña. 11 June 2017. El Periodico. 18 April 2016 . es.
  3. News: El Vaticano cesó al arzobispo Manuel Ureña por pagar 105.000 euros a un diácono. 27 November 2014 . es . 11 June 2017.
  4. News: es. Baquero. Camilo S.. Juan José Omella será el nuevo arzobispo de Barcelona. 11 June 2017. El Pais. 6 November 2015.
  5. News: Sust. Toni. Joan Josep Omella toma posesión como nuevo arzobispo de Barcelona . 11 June 2017. El Periodico. 26 December 2015. es.
  6. News: Arocho Esteves. Junno. Appointment not about career, but service, cardinal-designate says. 11 June 2017. CRUX. 26 May 2017. 26 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170526070749/https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/05/26/appointment-not-career-service-cardinal-designate-says/. dead.
  7. News: Bastante. Jesús. El Papa responde al desafío de la Conferencia Episcopal con el nombramiento como cardenal del arzobispo de Barcelona. 11 June 2017. El Diario. 21 May 2017 . es.
  8. News: Gagliarducci . Andrea. Pope Francis' newest cardinals show a global Church. 11 June 2017. Catholic News Agency. 22 May 2017 . The Spanish Bishops’ Conference gathered for its general assembly in Madrid on March 15. Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez Pérez was re-elected as president for a second three-year mandate by a strong majority. Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, archbishop of Valencia and former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, was elected vice-president. In the race for the presidency, Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid, got four votes, while Archbishop Omella got just one vote..
  9. News: Brockhaus. Hannah. Pope Francis to Five New Cardinals: Jesus 'Calls You to Serve Like Him and With Him'. 28 June 2017. National Catholic Register. 28 June 2017.
  10. News: Catalan government wants archbishop and abbot to mediate talks with Spain. Catholic Herald . 25 December 2017 . 4 October 2017 . Nick . Hallett .
  11. . 23 December 2017 . Resignations and Appointments, 23.12.2017. 25 December 2017.
  12. Book: Omella, Juan José . Portolés Mombiela, Miguel . La Aurora de Calanda, una antigua institución . Zaragoza . Instituto de Estudios Turolenses. 1991. 84-404-8793-2.
  13. News: Pope renews Council of Cardinals. Vatican News. 7 March 2023. 7 March 2023.