José Cobo Cano (born 20 September 1965) is a Spanish
prelate of the
Catholic Church. He has been serving as the
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of
Madrid since his installation on 8 July 2023. He previously served as
auxiliary bishop of that archdiocese.
Pope Francis made him 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 ...
on 30 September 2023.
Cobo became a priest in 1994 and was named an auxiliary bishop in 2017; after his ordination, he oversaw various social issue–related departments within the
Spanish Episcopal Conference. Following a scandal about a case of sexual abuse by a teacher at an
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work an ...
school, Cobo participated in a national meeting to address such cases within the Catholic Church.
His appointment as archbishop in 2023 drew controversy due to his limited experience—the previous five archbishops of Madrid had all been bishops in their own dioceses—and progressive views. During an interview, Cobo sparked controversy when he stated that he would not officiate same-sex marriages, comparing the act to celebrating the
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
with
Coca-Cola.
Early life
José Cobo was born on 20 September 1965 in the municipality of
Sabiote, Andalusia, where he was baptized in the .
At 7 years old he went with his parents, Agustín and Pauli, to Madrid.
He earned a
licentiate degree in
civil law from the
Complutense University of Madrid in 1988. The same year, he entered the and
San Damaso the same year, where he completed his