Juan José Omella y Omella | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona | |
.jpg) Juan José Omella in 2017. | |
| Archdiocese | Barcelona |
| See | Barcelona |
| Appointed | 6 November 2015 |
| Installed | 26 December 2015 |
| Predecessor | Lluís Martínez Sistach |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (2017–) President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (2020–2024) |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 20 September 1970 |
| Consecration | 22 September 1996 by Elías Yanes Alvarez |
| Created cardinal | 28 June 2017 byPope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Juan José Omella y Omella (1946-04-21)21 April 1946 (age 78) |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Motto | Por la entrañable misericordia de nuestro Dios (Through the tender mercy of our God) |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Juan José Omella y Omella | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Juan José Omella y Omella (alsoJoan Josep;[a] born 21 April 1946) is a Spanishprelate of theRoman Catholic Church. He has been serving as thearchbishop ofBarcelona since his installation on 26 December 2015 and as acardinal since 28 June 2017. He was the president of theEpiscopal Conference of Spain from 2020 to 2024. He previously served asauxiliary bishop ofZaragoza (1996-1999) andbishop ofBarbastro-Monzón (1999–2004) andCalahorra y La Calzada-Logroño (2004-2015). He is a member of theCouncil of Cardinals.
Omella was born in the municipality ofCretas,Aragon. One of his sisters still lives there, while the other died at a young age.
The village priest convinced him to enter theseminary ofZaragoza. He studied at education centres formissionaries inLeuven andJerusalem as well. On 20 September 1970 he was ordained a priest. He then worked for the church in Zaragoza and inZaire.[2]
Pope John Paul II appointed himauxiliary bishop ofZaragoza 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 ofBarbastro-Monzón in 1999. He held the posts of Apostolic Administrator ofHuesca and ofJaca from 2001 to 2003. In 2004 he was named bishop ofCalahorra and La Calzada-Logroño.
He has been a member of the Commission of Social Ministry of theSpanish Episcopal Conference since 1996 and president of that commission from 2002 to 2008 and from 2014 to 2017.[2] On 6 November 2014,Pope Francis appointed him a member of theCongregation for Bishops.[2] According toEl Periodico, Omella engineered the November 2014 early retirement ofManuel Ureña Pastor as Archbishop of Zaragoza, whom the local press later reported had mishandled a charge of harassment against one of his priests.[3][4]
On 6 November 2015, Pope Francis appointed Omella Archbishop ofBarcelona.[5] He was installed there on 26 December.[6]
On 21 May 2017, Pope Francis announced plans to make him a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 28 June 2017.[7]El Diario said the appointment made clear that Pope Francis's preferred representatives in Spain were Omella andCarlos 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 toManos Unidas [es], an organization that focuses on the problems of developing nations.[8][9] At the 28 June consistory he was assigned to the order of cardinal priests with the title ofSanta Croce in Gerusalemme.[10]
Following the2017-18 Spanish constitutional crisis the Catalan government suggested that Omella and the Abbot of Montserrat should act as mediators between the region and Spanish authorities.[11]
Francis made him a member of theCongregation for Bishops and of theSupreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura on 23 December 2017.[12]
Omella is the co-author, with Miguel Pothoes Mombiela and José María Navarro, ofLa aurora de Calanda, una antigua institución, published in 1991.[13]
On 7 March 2023, Pope Francis appointed him to theCouncil of Cardinal Advisors.[14]
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.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joaquín Carmelo Borobia Isasa | Auxiliary Bishop of Zaragoza 15 July 1996 – 29 October 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — Titular Bishop of Sasabe 15 July 1996 – 29 October 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Barbastro-Monzón 29 October 1999 – 8 April 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Calahorra y La Calzada–Logroño 8 April 2004 – 6 November 2015 | Succeeded by Carlos Manuel Escribano Subías |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Barcelona 6 November 2015 – | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 28 June 2017 – | |
| Preceded by | President of Spanish Episcopal Conference 3 March 2020 – 5 March 2024 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
