François-Xavier Bustillo O.F.M. Conv. 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 the

Bishop of Ajaccio The Diocese of Ajaccio (Latin: ''Dioecesis Adiacensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Ajaccio'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in France.French Concordat of 1801, the diocese became a suffragan of the Rom ...

since 2021. He is a member of the

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

Biography

François-Xavier Bustillo was born in

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

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 ...

, and was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1994. After his studies at the ''Istituto Teologico di Sant'Antonio'', he obtained his doctorate at the

Catholic University of Toulouse The Institut Catholique de Toulouse (or ICT) is a Catholic university in Toulouse, France. The Catholic Institute of Toulouse (ICT) is a private institution of higher education including the humanities and social sciences, law and theology, as wel ...

. In 1994 he was one of the founders of the Saint Bonaventure's Convent in

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in France, commune in Southern France in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. It lies from Paris in the Aude Departments of Franc ...

. From 2006 to 2018 he held the position of Provincial Custos of the Conventual Franciscans for France and Belgium, and from 2005 to 2018 carried out his ministry in the diocese of Carcassonne-Narbonne. In 2018 he was appointed guardian of the convent of Saint-Maximilien-Kolbe in

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château ...

, France. On 11 May 2021,

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. ...

appointed him

. He received his episcopal consecration on 13 June in the cathedral in Ajaccio from

Jean-Marc Aveline Jean-Marc Noël Aveline (born 26 December 1958) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who was named Archbishop of Marseille on 8 August 2019 after serving as an auxiliary bishop there since 2013. On 27 August 2022, Pope Francis made Aveli ...

, Archbishop of Marseilles. In February 2022, after ''

Paris-Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...

'' reported that Bustillo was one of the leading candidates for the position of Archbishop of Paris, he said he had not been contacted and that it was not Church practice to move a bishop so soon. It said it would be "unfair": "Paris needs a man of experience. What I really want is to be here, with you and for you." In April 2022, Pope Francis gave an Italian-language version of Bustillo's book ''Witnesses, Not Officials'' to each of the priests attending the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Holy Thursday.

Publications

* ''La fraternità pasquale. Raccontare la vita comunitaria, in Memoria e profezia'', EMP, 2013, * ''La vocation du prêtre face aux crises: La fidélité créatrice'', Bruyères-le-Châtel, Éditions Nouvelle Cité, 2021,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bustillo, François-Xavier 1968 births Bishops of Ajaccio Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in France People from Pamplona Spanish Roman Catholic bishops Spanish Franciscans Conventual Franciscan bishops Spanish expatriates in France Bishops appointed by Pope Francis