Juan Landázuri Ricketts (December 19, 1913,

Arequipa, Peru Arequipa ( ay, Ariqipa; qu, Ariqipa) is a department and region in southwestern Peru. It is the sixth largest department in Peru, after Puno, Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto, its sixth most populous department, and its eleventh least ...

– January 16, 1997,

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

) was one of the most prominent

Roman 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 ...

men during the 1960s and 1970s in Latin America. This was a period in which the Church took a strong stance against human rights abuses by numerous

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...

s; it also expressed a preference for the poor and concerns about

extreme poverty Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...

and wealth inequality. Before he turned 80 on December 19, 1993, Juan Landázuri Ricketts was the last

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 ...

elevated by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

to retain voting rights in a papal

conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

Early life

Born as Guillermo Eduardo Landázuri Ricketts in 1913 in

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara and qu, Ariqipa) is a city and capital of province and the eponymous department of Peru. It is the seat of the Constitutional Court of Peru and often dubbed the "legal capital of Peru". It is the second most populated city ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, he was educated in Catholic schools. He joined the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

in 1937 (taking the name Juan) and became a priest two years later. His ability as a priest was immediately noticed, and he was appointed as secretary to the general delegation of his order as early as 1943. After finishing his theological studies in 1949, Landázuri Ricketts served briefly a faculty member of the Franciscan Theological Seminary in

Puerto Ocopa Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

. His status within the wider Church was rising rapidly, and he was selected as the general definitor of the Order of Friars Minor by 1951.

Archbishop of Lima

The following year, Landázuri Ricketts was appointed

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 Roina and was chosen in 1955 to replace the deceased

Juan Gualberto Guevara Juan Gualberto Guevara B.A. J.C.D. (12 July 1882 – 27 November 1954) was created on 18 February 1946 a Cardinal Priest by Pope Pius XII. He was Archbishop of Lima in the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Cardinal of Peru. Biography E ...

as Archbishop of Lima. His appointment coincided with a radically modernising military dictatorship under

Manuel Odria Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

. Efforts at such reform were repeated until 1980. As Archbishop, he collaborated with these efforts for sweeping agricultural and institutional reforms to take Peru into the modern world and develop its great economic potential. He believed that these would improve social conditions in the country. By 1962 he had been selected as Primate of Peru and was made a Cardinal-Priest of ''

Santa Maria in Aracoeli The Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven ( la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae de Ara coeli in Capitolio, it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara coeli al Campidoglio) is a titular basilica in Rome, located on the highest summit of the Campidoglio. I ...

'' by

in June 1962. He made great efforts, aided by the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

s in Peru, to consolidate the vast

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

s of the Lima Archdiocese. These had accumulated since Spanish colonisation of Latin America and were invaluable sources of the history of the region.

Liberation theology

In the following period Landázuri Ricketts led during a period when priests rapidly developed

liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". In ...

and a theory of resistance to the military dictatorship under Ricardo Perez Godoy who ruled Peru. Landázuri Ricketts responded to this with considerable support, also trying to ensure that the laity and nuns had considerable say in local decision-making. He became a major participant as Acting President in the 1968 Medellin Conference. He was regularly elected as the leader of local episcopal conference almost without opposition until he reached the age of 75 in 1988. During this period, in accordance with his

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

ideals, Landázuri Ricketts left the Archbishop's palace and moved into a small house in a working-class area of Lima. Although he served on the

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, previously named Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia, erected by Pope Paul VI on 19 May 1964 as the Secretariat for Non-Christians, and renamed by Pope ...

during the 1970s, his relationship with the Vatican soured after the ascension of

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 ...

. That pope believed that

posed problems for Catholicism and was too involved in opposition to temporal political systems. Despite being an extremely respected prelate, Landázuri Ricketts had to accept more conservative

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 ...

bishops and sympathisers being appointed in Peru during the 1980s and 1990s. Due to his advancing age, he resigned his role as head of the South American Bishops' conference in 1989. He retired from the see in 1990 and was succeeded by

Augusto Vargas Alzamora Augusto Vargas Alzamora S.J. (9 November 1922 – 4 September 2000) was a Cardinal Priest and Archbishop of Lima in the Roman Catholic Church. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1940. He studied at the Jesuit Philosophical Faculty in San Migu ...

References

External links

The Church and the Military

Picture of Cardinal Landázuri Ricketts in Franciscan cappa magna {{DEFAULTSORT:Landazuri Ricketts, Juan 1913 births 1997 deaths People from Arequipa Peruvian people of Basque descent Peruvian Friars Minor 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Peru Peruvian people of British descent Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic archbishops of Lima Peruvian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope John XXIII Burials at the Cathedral of Lima Franciscan cardinals