Francisco Robles Ortega (; born 2 March 1949) is a Mexican 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 ...

, 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 ...

since 2007. He is the Archbishop of Guadalajara. Cardinal Robles had previously served as archbishop of Monterrey from 2003 to 2011. He is also, as of November 2012, the incoming president-elect of the Roman Catholic Mexican Episcopal (Bishops') Conference, to replace the outgoing president, Archbishop

Carlos Aguiar Retes Carlos Aguiar Retes (; born 9 January 1950) is a Mexican cardinal of the Catholic Church who serves as the Archbishop of Mexico City. He has served as an officer of the Mexican Episcopal Conference and the Latin American Episcopal Conference ( ...

, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla ( la, Archidioecesis Tlanepantlanus) is a Metropolitan Diocese, Metropolitan Archdiocese in Mexico. Based in Tlalnepantla de Baz, Tlalnepantla, México (state), México state, its suffragan dioceses ...

Biography

Early life and ordination

Francisco Robles Ortega was born in

Mascota Mascota is a town and municipality in Jalisco, in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 1,591.63 km². The name Mascota comes from the root "Amaxacotlán", which means "place of deer and colubrids". The municipality ha ...

, as the third of the sixteen children of Francisco Robles Arreola (b. 1917) and Teresa Ortega de Robles (b. 1927). He studied

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

at the

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

Autlán Autlán de Navarro is a city and its surrounding municipalities of Mexico, municipality of the same name in the Costa Sur region of the southwestern part of the state of Jalisco in Mexico. At the Mexican census of 2005, the city had a population ...

, philosophy at the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

, and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the seminary in Zamora. Robles 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 va ...

to the priesthood by Bishop José Vásquez Silos on 20 July 1976, and then studied at 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 until 1979, obtaining his

licentiate in theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simila ...

. Upon his return to Mexico, he served as

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of Autlán and taught philosophy and theology at its seminary. He was made

diocesan In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

administrator of Autlán following the death of Bishop Vásquez Silos in July 1990

Bishop

On 30 April 1991, Robles was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...

and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Bossa'' 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 ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on the following 5 June from Bishop Alfredo Torres Romero, with Bishops José Hernández González and

Javier Lozano Barragán Javier Lozano Barragán (; 26 January 1933 – 20 April 2022) was a Mexican prelate of the Catholic Church who was president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers from 1997 to 2009. He was made a cardinal in 200 ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

, in the Cathedral of Toluca. Robles was later named diocesan administrator of Toluca following the death of Bishop Torres Romero on 15 October 1995. He finally became Bishop of Toluca on 15 June 1996, and was installed on 15 July of that same year. On 25 January 2003, he was advanced to Archbishop of Monterrey.

Cardinal

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

created him

cardinal-priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of ''Santa Maria della Presentazione'' in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

of 24 November 2007, he took possession of the titular church on 25 October 200

Cardinal Robles Ortega will be eligible to participate in any future

papal conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the Apostolic succession, apostolic successor of Saint ...

s until he reaches the age of eighty on 2 March 2029 unless he dies before. On 5 January 2011 he was appointed among the first members of the newly created

Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization (Latin: ''Pontificium Consilium de Nova Evangelizatione''), also translated as Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia whose cre ...

. On 7 December 2011 Cardinal Robles was appointed the Archbishop of Guadalajara to replace the retiring

Juan Sandoval Íñiguez Juan Sandoval Íñiguez (; born 28 March 1933 in Yahualica de González Gallo, Jalisco, Mexico) is a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and served as Archbishop of Guadalajara. Ecclesiastical career He is a son of Esteban Sandoval Ruiz an ...

who had reached the age limit. As a result, the see of Monterrey fell

vacant Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is th ...

. On 24 November 2012 he was appointed a member of the

Pontifical Council for Social Communications The Pontifical Council for Social Communications ( la, Pontificium Consilium de Communicationibus Socialibus) was a dicastery of the Roman Curia that was suppressed in March 2016 and merged into the Secretariat for Communications (now "Dicaste ...

. He was appointed as a member of the

Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dic ...

on 16 December 2013 for a five-year renewable term. He was one of the

cardinal electors A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

who participated in the

2013 papal conclave The 2013 papal conclave was convened to elect a pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation on 28 February 2013. After the 115 participating cardinal-electors gathered, they set 12 March 2013 as the beginning of the conclave. On ...

that selected

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. ...

Views

Drug politics

The archbishop of Monterrey has called on the country's political parties and organizations to take action to avoid infiltration in their ranks by drug traders.

Secularism in education

Cardinal Robles said "we are against the change proposed by the decree to reform Article 3" of the Constitution because it seeks to encourage secularism in private educational institutions, eliminating the subject of religion, which trains young people in moral values.

Poverty and humility

In naming archbishop Francisco Robles of Monterrey as one of 23 new Roman Catholic cardinals, analysts say the Vatican chose a clergyman who advocates for the poor and beseeches the faithful to embrace humility.

Family policy

Cardinal Robles has said that the family is "an institution that is natural, that is the basis of society", and he warned those who oppose a new law that would protect it not to attempt to "supplant such an important institution as the family."

References

External links and additional sources

*
Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) {{DEFAULTSORT:Robles Ortega, Francisco 1949 births Living people People from Jalisco Mexican cardinals 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Mexico 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Mexico Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI Members of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation Members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications Members of the Congregation for Bishops Roman Catholic archbishops of Guadalajara