José Manuel Estepa Llaurens

Who is José Manuel Estepa Llaurens?

José Manuel Estepa Llaurens is a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Military Archbishop Emeritus of Spain.

Born in Andújar, Spain on 1 January 1926. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical University of Salamanca and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in pastoral theology. He obtained a licentiate in pastoral catechesis at the Institut Catholique, Paris, in 1956.

He was ordained a priest on 27 June 1954. He was chaplain of Colegio Mayor Universitario Guadalupe of Madrid, from 1956 until 1960. He served as professor at the Hispanicamerican Theological Seminary of Madrid, from 1956 to 1964 and director of the Department of Pastoral of Obra de Cooperación Sacerdotal Hispanoamericana from 1957 to 1961. He served as the assessore to the presidency of the Episcopal Council of Latin America from 1958 to 1967. He also collaborated with the Catholic Action. From 1965 until 1971, he was national director of catechesis of the Spanish Episcopal Conference; as well as general delegate of the Episcopal Commission for Education. Consultor of the Congregation for the Clergy, 1971.

He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Madrid and Titular Bishop of Tisili by the Holy See on 5 September 1972. He was consecrated to the Episcopate on 15 October 1972, his principal consecrator was Cardinal Vicente Enrique y Tarancón, Archbishop of Madrid, and his principal co-consecrators were Marcelo González Martín, Archbishop of Toledo and José López Ortiz, Titular Archbishop of Gradum.