The Archbishop of Valladolid, Luis Argüellowill be in charge of the Spanish Episcopal Conference Juan Jose Omella, who has been at the head of the EEC since March 2020. This is the second time that the Spanish bishops vote for their president following the new statutes of the Spanish Episcopal Conference.
The episcopate has also voted Monsignor José Cobo Cano, Archbishop of Madrid, as Vice President. In these days, the Spanish bishops will also elect the Presidents of the Episcopal Commissions and Subcommissions; the President of the Episcopal Council of Juridical Affairs; and the three members of the Episcopal Council of Economy. All member bishops of the EEC who do not hold any of these positions will be incorporated as members of one of these bodies.
Msgr. Luis Argüello
Bishop Luis Javier Argüello García was born on May 16, 1953 in Meneses de Campos (Palencia).
He holds a degree in Civil Law and was a professor of Administrative Law at the University of Valladolid from 1976 to 1981. He entered the Diocesan Seminary of Valladolid in 1983 and was ordained a priest on September 27, 1986.
In his diocese he has served as formator in the Diocesan Seminary; episcopal vicar of the city and rector of the seminary among others.
From 2011 until his episcopal appointment, he was vicar general and moderator of the diocesan Curia. On April 14, 2016, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Valladolid and he received the episcopal consecration in June of the same year.
Bishop Argüello is one of the best known names in the Spanish Church today. In addition to being the Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference from 2018 to 2022, Argüello has promoted various lines of work from the Episcopal Conference, especially related to the role of Christians in public life and was one of the Spanish bishops present at the Synod Assembly that took place in October 2023.
In June 2022, he was appointed Archbishop of Valladolid by the Pope, succeeding Bishop Ricardo Blázquez. He is currently a member of the Standing Commission and since the Plenary Assembly of November 2022 is a member of the Commission for the Clergy. He has also been a member of the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Ministry and the Episcopal Commission for Seminaries and Universities (2017-2018).
The composition of the Executive Committee
Throughout the morning, the bishops also elected the members of the Executive Commission of the Spanish Episcopal Conference.
For this body, the prelates have elected the Bishop of Getafe, Msgr. Ginés García BeltránJesús Sanz, Archbishop Mario Iceta and Enrique Benavent, Archbishop of Burgos and Archbishop of Valencia respectively, Bishop Ángel Saiz MenesesJosé María Gil Tamayo, Archbishop of Granada.
