Eduardo Maria Taussig (born July 4, 1954) is an Argentinian

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He was the

bishop 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 c ...

of San Rafael from 2004 to 2022.

Biography

Eduardo Maria Taussig was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

on 9 July 1954. His family immigrated to Argentina from Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. After attending the Colegio San Pablo in Buenos Aires, he studied philosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) and theology at the Buenos Aires seminary. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood on 3 December 1982 by Cardenal

Juan Carlos Aramburu Juan Carlos Aramburu (February 11, 1912 – November 18, 2004) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 1975 to 1990, and was named to the College of Cardinals by Pope Paul VI in 1976. Biography Aramburu was born in rura ...

. He continued his studies, earning a philosophy degree at UCA and then a doctorate in theology at the

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...

in 1990. Returning to Buenos Aires, he was Parish Vicar in San José del Talar, professor of philosophy and theology at UCA, chaplain of a university residence hall, and advisor of the Fundar Association and of the Consortium of Catholic Odontologists. In 2002 he was appointed parish priest of San Luca and director of the diocesan office of university pastoral service. On 21 July 2004,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed him

of San Rafael. Taussig received his

episcopal consecration 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 ...

on 25 September from

Jorge Mario Bergoglio Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

, archbishop of Buenos Aires, later

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. He was installed as bishop on 11 October. He was viewed as a relatively conservative bishop, friendly with Archbishop Hector Aguer, for example, Pope Francis' "nemesis" when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. In July 2020, as a safety measure to restrict the spread of the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

virus, he instituted a rule that Holy Communion be received in the hand rather than on the tongue. When the priests and laity of the diocese protested this, Taussig identified the seminary, the largest in Argentina, as the center of opposition to his authority and closed it. In October he asked people not to join marches protesting the seminary closure. In November, Taussig faced protests during a pastoral visit where he attempted to explain his decision to close the seminary. Pope Francis accepted his resignation as bishop of San Rafael on 5 February 2022.

References

External links

* * 1954 births 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Argentina Living people Clergy from Buenos Aires Roman Catholic bishops of San Rafael {{Argentina-RC-bishop-stub