José María Gil Tamayo (born 5 June 1957) is a Spanish

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He has been serving as

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 ...

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

since his installation on 1 February 2023. He previously served as

coadjutor archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

of that archdiocese and as

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy 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 and administration of di ...

Ávila Ávila ( , , ) is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m a ...

. Gil became a priest in 1980 and was named bishop in 2018; after his ordination, he did pastoral work in Latin America and the Caribbean. He had many communication-related roles.

Early life

José María Gil Tamayo was born on 5 June 1957 in the municipality of

Zalamea de la Serena Zalamea de la Serena is a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2014 census, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) the municipality has a population of 3797 inhabitants. Zalamea is the setting of the p ...

Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

. He studied at the

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

of the Archdiocese of Mérida–Badajoz. He earned a licenciate degree in

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of th ...

and information science from the

University of Navarra The University of Navarra is a private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of '' Opus Dei'', as a corporat ...

Priesthood

Gil's

sacerdotal ordination 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 vari ...

was on 7 September 1980; he was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Mérida–Badajoz by

Antonio Montero Moreno Antonio Montero Moreno (28 August 1928 – 16 June 2022) was a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate. Montero Moreno was born in Churriana de la Vega and was ordained to the priesthood in 1951. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archd ...

. For nine years, he performed pastoral work in rural villages, serving as a parish priest, vicar, and religion teacher. In one of these villages, He worked with local radio stations to provide Christian content, especially for those who couldn't attend Mass. He started his ministry as a clergyman within the Archdiocese of Mérida–Badajoz. In 1992, he assumed the role of directing Medios de Comunicación y de la Oficina de Información for his diocese. He held the position of

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the same diocese. Gil has been a professor in

communication technologies Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

Pontifical University of Salamanca The Pontifical University of Salamanca (in Spanish (language), Spanish: ''Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca'') is a Private university, private Catholic university, Roman Catholic university based in Salamanca, Spain. History This Pontifica ...

. Internationally, he has delivered lectures in

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. From 2001 to 2011, he was member of the Comité Episcopal Europeo de Medios de Comunicación. He collaborated to the Red Informática de la Iglesia en América Latina and provided advice on pastoral communication services to the Episcopal Conference of

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. In 2006, he worked at the press office for the Congreso Mundial de TV Católicas. In 2018, Gil was the

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

in the XIII Synod of Bishops in the Catholic Church in Spanish. Furthermore, he was the spokesperson of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

during the

resignation of Pope Benedict XVI The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 Roman-Vatican Time, following Benedict XVI's announcement of the same on 11 February. It made him the first pope to relinquish the office since Gregory XII was force ...

(February—March 2013) in Spanish. In the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

, Gil was a consultant of the

Pontifical Council for Social Communications The Pontifical Council for Social Communications () was a dicastery of the Roman Curia that was suppressed in March 2016 and merged into the Secretariat for Communication (now the Dicastery for Communication). According to '' Pastor bonus'', Po ...

from 2006 to 2016. From 1998 to 2011, Tamayo was the director of the Director of the Media Commission Secretariat of the

Spanish Episcopal Conference The Spanish Episcopal Conference (, ) is an administrative institution composed of all the bishops of the dioceses of Spain and Andorra, in communion with the Roman Pontiff and under his authority. Its purpose is the joint exercise certain pastor ...

. He has also directed the Information Service of the

Catholic Church in Spain The Spanish Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Spain, is part of the Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Holy See, Rome, and the Spanish Episcopal Conference. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 establishes the non- ...

. He has been secretary general of the Spanish Episcopal Conference from 2013 to 2018.

Bishophood

Bishop

On 6 of November 2018 he was named as

of the

Diocese of Ávila 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 associated ...

, replacing . He received his

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on 15 December 2018 by Ricardo Blázquez on the

Ávila Cathedral The Cathedral of the Saviour () is a church architecture, Catholic church in Ávila, Spain, Ávila in the south of Old Castile, Spain. It was built in the late Romanesque architecture, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, Gothic architectural trad ...

. As bishop of Ávila, Gil was president of the foundation

Las Edades del Hombre Las Edades del Hombre is a religious foundation that was created to promote the sacred art of Castilla y León (Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Af ...

and the of the

Catholic University of Ávila Saint Teresa of Jesus Catholic University (), commonly known as the Catholic University of Ávila (UCAV), is a private, Catholic university, located in Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. It is named after Saint Teresa of Ávila. The current rect ...

. He has served as a member of the Comisión Episcopal de Medios de Comunicación Social within the Spanish Episcopal Conference from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, he has been a member of the Comisión Ejecutiva since 2020. Moreover, as of 2022, he holds the position of president of the Consejo de Estudios y Proyectos. In 2021, the bishop asked the government of Spain to declare the area of Navalacruz a

disaster zone A disaster area is a region or a locale that has been heavily damaged by either natural, technological or social hazards. Disaster areas affect the population living in the community by a dramatic increase in expense, loss of energy, food and se ...

following a fire in the region. During the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Tamayo criticized the government for only providing emergency funding to public schools, not to

private schools A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their financial endowme ...

(including Catholic schools), calling this discriminatory. Tamayo was hospitalized in May 2020 for having Covid-19. Like other bishops, Gil selected a

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

and a ecclesiastical coat of arms. His chosen motto, "Non ministrari sed ministrare", is meant to reflect the words of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

to his disciples, signifying that he was named to serve, not to be served.

Archbishop

On 16 July 2022 he was named

Archdiocese of Granada 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 associated ...

. The position of coadjutor, rarely employed in the Spanish clergy, was utilized to ensure a "peaceful transition" of responsibilities. On 1 February 2023, after the resignation of Francisco Javier Martínez Fernández, he was named by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

of Granada. The Holy See tasked Gil to provide an

internal audit Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach t ...

on the economic situation of the bishopric, as well as a revitalization of the clergy of Granada. In August 2023, Tamayo attended the inauguration of a new statue of the first Archbishop of Mérida-Granada, Antonio Montero, and blessed the sculpture. In 2024, Tamayo hosted a

Chrism Mass The Chrism Mass is a religious service held in certain Christian denominations, such as Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism. It is usually celebrated each year on Maundy Thursday or on another day of Holy Week. During the ceremony, th ...

for the persecuted clergy of Nicaragua, where he announced that the Archdiocese of Granada would welcome Nicaraguan clergy in need.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gil Tamayo, José María 1957 births Living people People from Badajoz Bishops appointed by Pope Francis University of Navarra alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Spain