Enrique Benavent Vidal (born 25 April 1959) is a Spanish prelate of the

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 ...

who has been named Metropolitan Archbishop of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. He was Bishop of

Tortosa Tortosa (; ) is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain. Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buinaca, one of the hig ...

from 2013 to 2022 after serving as Auxiliary Bishop in Valencia from 2005 to 2013.

Biography

Enrique Benavent Vidal was born on 25 April 1959 in Quatretonda. He attended the seminary of Valencia in Moncada and the San Vicente Ferrer Faculty of Theology. In 1993 he obtained a doctorate from the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in Rome. He was ordained a priest by

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 ...

during his visit to Valencia on 8 November 1982. He was assistant parish priest and professor of religion in

Alcoy Alcoy ( ca-valencia, Alcoi) is an industrial and university city, region and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain. The Serpis river crosses the municipal boundary of Alcoy. The local authority reported a population of 61,135 res ...

(1982-1985); formator in the major seminary of Valencia in Moncada and Professor of Theology for the formation of deacons (1985-1990); episcopal delegate for the pastoral care of vocations (1993-1997); professor of dogmatic theology at the San Vicente Ferrer Faculty of Theology (1993-2004) and at the Valencia Section of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (1994-2004); director of the San Juan de Ribera Major College in

Burjassot Burjassot ( es, Burjasot) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain. Museums The Museum of Geology at the University of Valencia is located on calle Doctor Moliner. It has several collections of geolog ...

(1999-2004); assistant dean and director of the Diocesan Section of the San Vicente Ferrer Faculty of Theology (2001-2004); member of the Presbyteral Council (2003-2004). Coat of arms of Enrique Benavent Vidal

appointed him titular bishop of Rotdon and auxiliary bishop of Valencia on 8 November 2004. He received his episcopal consecration on 8 January 2005. At the time he was the youngest bishop in Spain.

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. ...

named him bishop of Tortosa on 17 May 2013 and he was installed there on 13 July. Pope Francis named him metropolitan archbishop of Valencia on 10 October 2022. His installation there is scheduled for 10 December. The head of the Valencian government, Ximo Puig, said his appointment would make it possible for increased cooperation with the Church as was not possible with his predecessor. He is a member of the permanent commission of the

Spanish Episcopal Conference The Spanish Episcopal Conference ( es, Conferencia Episcopal Española, ca, Conferència Episcopal Espanyola) is an administrative institution composed of all the bishops of the dioceses of Spain and Andorra, in communion with the Roman Pontiff a ...

. He was a member of its commission for the doctrine of the faith since 2008 and has been president of that commission since 2017. He was a member of its commission for seminaries and universities from 2008 to 2017.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benavent Vidal, Enrique Living people 1959 births People from the Province of Valencia Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Bishops appointed by Pope Francis