Ángel Herrera Oria (19 November 1886 – 28 July 1968) was a Spanish

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and later a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

. He established the Instituto Social León XIII (later renamed Fundación Pablo VI) to promote the social doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and named it in honor of

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

who elevated him to the rank of cardinal in 1965. His cause of canonization has commenced and he is referred to as a

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

Life

Early life and education

Ángel Herrera Oria was born in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on 19 November 1886 as the thirteenth of fifteen children to José Herrera Ariosa and Asunción Oria; four brothers became

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priests while another joined the missions in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. He completed his secondary studies with the Jesuit Fathers in

Valladolid Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...

and studied law at the University of

Deusto Deusto, also known as Deustu in Basque and formerly known as ''San Pedro de Deusto'', is one of the eight districts of Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption ...

; he also studied for a licentiate in law in 1905 at the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is th ...

and also attended the University of

Fribourg , neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne , twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France) , website = www.ville-fribourg.ch , Location of , Location of () () o ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

for ecclesiastical studies from 1936 until 1940. Oria entered the

State Lawyers Corps The State Lawyers Corps (Spanish: ''Cuerpo de Abogados del Estado'') is a body of top civil servants in Spain, dependent on the Solicitor General of the State, itself organically integrated (currently) within the Ministry of Justice. It was crea ...

in 1908 and was later sent to the Delegation of the Treasury in Burgos where he remained for a year. He returned to Madrid and entered the Marian Congregation of los Luises, directed by Jesuit Father Ángel Ayala. On 3 December 1909, he was named as the president of the recently founded Asociación Católica Nacional de Jóvenes Propagandistas. He also served as the director of El Debate from 1 November 1911 to 1933. He was the founder of Editorial Católica, of El Debate School of Journalism, of Confederación Nacional Católica Agraria, and of Centro de Estudios Universitarios e Instituto Social Obrero. Oria also partook in the formation of Pax Romana as well as in the initial steps of the Summer University of Santander. He served as the president of Central Board of Spanish Catholic Action for three years from 1933 to 1936. He co-founded and presided (1908-1935) the Asociación Católica Nacional de Propagandistas (ACNdP) (Propagandists Catholic National AssociationUnderstand the term 'propaganda' in its etymological meaning.), and the rightist party Acción Nacional (named after

Acción Popular ''Acción Popular'' may refer to: * Popular Action (El Salvador), a political party in El Salvador * Popular Action (Peru), a centrist and social liberal party * Popular Action (Spain) Popular Action ( es, Acción Popular), until 1932 National Act ...

) (1931), presided Spanish

Catholic Action Catholic Action is the name of groups of lay Catholics who advocate for increased Catholic influence on society. They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Ita ...

(1933-1935), and edited (1911-1933) the pre-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

most important Catholic newspaper, ''

El Debate ''El Debate'' is a defunct Spanish Catholic daily newspaper, published in Madrid between 1910 and 1936. It was the most important Catholic newspaper of its time in Spain. History and profile ''El Debate'' was founded in 1910 by Guillermo de Rivas ...

''. He studied

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

at the Universities of Salamanca and

Deusto Deusto, also known as Deustu in Basque and formerly known as ''San Pedro de Deusto'', is one of the eight districts of Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption ...

, and hold his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

at the University of Madrid in 1908. That year, he co-founded, with the

jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Ángel Ayala, the ACNdP. On November 1911, he purchased ''El Debate,'' a Catholic newspaper established a year before, and he made of it one of the most read newspapers in Spain. In 1912, the ACNdP established the

Editorial Católica An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, suc ...

, a leading Catholic publishing house during 20th century Spain. In 1926 he founded the first

Journalism School A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. 'J-School' is an increasingly used term for a journalism department at a school or college. Journalists in most parts of the ...

in Spain, associated with ''El Debate''. When the Second Republic was proclaimed, he founded the political party Acción Nacional (later named

, as government banned the usage of term 'national' by any political party). In 1933, he was elected president of Spanish

and left edition of ''El Debate.'' That same year, the ACNdP founded the

Centro de Estudios Universitarios The former Centro de Estudios Universitarios (CEU), currently called Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU, is a foundation for the development of education founded by the Catholic Propagandistic Association (ACdP). Out of the many academic instit ...

(CEU).

Ordination

In 1936 he decided to become priest and began his ecclesiastical studies in the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius ...

. He was ordained a priest on 28 July 1940 in the seminary of Saint Charles. He was assigned as coadjutor to a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

, where he founded several social initiatives. In 1944, he encouraged the establishment by the Editorial Católica of the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos (BAC).

Episcopate and cardinalate

In 1947 he was appointed

Bishop of Málaga A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. He advocated a large number of apostolic and social initiatives in his

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

and his

homilies A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...

were very often nationwide broadcast. Spanish Catholic Action elected him as its national ecclesiastical counselor from 1949 to 1955. In 1951 he founded the Leo XIII Social Institute, later the Faculty of Arts of the

Pontifical University of Salamanca The Pontifical University of Salamanca (in Spanish: ''Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca'') is a private Roman Catholic university based in Salamanca, Spain. History This Pontifical University has its origins in the unique University of Sa ...

(Madrid campus), and between 1958 and 1967 he presided the Editorial Católica. He participated in the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

in all sessions. On 22 February 1965 he was elevated to the rank of cardinal by

, named cardinal priest of

Sacro Cuore di Maria Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Immaculate Heart of Mary), is a titular church in Piazza Euclide, Rome. It was built by the architect Armando Brasini (1879–1965). Its construction began in 1923 with the design of a Greek ...

. He retired as bishop of Malaga in 1966 following several unsuccessful attempts to have the pope accept his resignation. Herrera died on 28 July 1968 and was buried in the chapel of San Rafael in the cathedral of Málaga on 31 July 1968.

Beatification

The process of his

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

commenced on 15 July 1996 with the declaration of "nihil obstat" (nothing against) and he was proclaimed a

. The official diocesan process spanned from 20 November 1996 until 14 December 2010; the process was validated by the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

on 22 June 2012.

References

Bibliography

* García Escudero, José María: ''De periodista a cardenal: vida de Ángel Herrera'', Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1998 * García Escudero, José María: ''El pensamiento de Ángel Herrera: antología política y social'', Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1987 * Herrera Oria, Ángel: ''Obras completas'' (6 vols., edited by José Luis Gutiérrez García), Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 2002-2006 * Sánchez Jiménez, José: ''El Cardenal Herrera Oria: Pensamiento y acción social'', Madrid: Encuentro, 1986

External links

*
Biography by the ACdP
*
Biography by Fundación Pablo VI, Pontifical University of Salamanca (Madrid campus)
*
Official Web Site of the documentary ''Angel Herrera Oria''

Saints SQPN

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera Oria, Angel 1886 births 1968 deaths People from Santander, Spain 20th-century Spanish cardinals Bishops of Málaga Popular Action (Spain) politicians CEDA politicians Politicians from Cantabria Clergy from Cantabria Participants in the Second Vatican Council University of Salamanca alumni Pontifical University of Salamanca faculty Spanish Servants of God 20th-century venerated Christians Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI University of Deusto alumni Leaders of political parties in Spain Members of the State Lawyers Corps 20th-century Spanish journalists