Leopoldo Ruiz y Flóres (13 November 1865 – 12 December 1941) was a Mexican prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Morelia from 1911 until his death in 1941. He was previously Bishop of Léon from 1900 to 1907 and Archbishop of Linares o Nueva León from 1907 to 1911. During the Church-state negotiations following the

Cristero War The Cristero War ( es, Guerra Cristera), also known as the Cristero Rebellion or es, La Cristiada, label=none, italics=no , was a widespread struggle in central and western Mexico from 1 August 1926 to 21 June 1929 in response to the implementa ...

, he represented the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

as its Apostolic Delegate to Mexico. He was sent into exile in 1932 in reprisal for a sharp critique of the Mexican government by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

and returned in 1938.

Biography

Leopoldo Ruiz y Flóres was born on 13 November 1865 in Amealco, Mexico. He was ordained a priest on 17 March 1888. On 12 November 1900,

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

appointed him Bishop of Léon. He received his episcopal consecration on 27 December 1900. On 14 September 1907,

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=páppas, lit=father), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide C ...

named him Archbishop of Linares o Nueva León. On 27 November 1911,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

named him Archbishop of Michoacán. (The name of that archdiocese changed to the Archdiocese of Morelia on 22 November 1924.) He was appointed Apostolic Delegate to Mexico on 10 October 1929 by

. The

, a rebellion against the government's suppression of the Catholic Church, was ending, but years of conflict about its resolution followed. In his new role, Ruiz led the Mexican bishops into alignment with Pope Pius, who opposed the rebellion but struggled with the government's ongoing anti-clericalism. Ruiz represented the Church in difficult negotiations with the government while contending with instructions and pronouncements from Rome. The situation worsened when Pope Pius issued an encyclical, ''

Acerba animi ''Acerba animi'' (Latin, "Of harsh souls"; also called ''On the Persecution of the Church in Mexico'') is an encyclical of Pope Pius XI promulgated on 29 September 1932, to denounce the continued persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico. ...

'', on 29 September 1932 that denounced the government for reneging on earlier agreements. Ruiz had always been a moderate in tone and posture, but as the Vatican's representative became the target of the government's response. On 3 October 1932, the Chamber of Deputies voted him into exile. He based himself nearby in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, Texas. Under pressure from Rome he resigned as Apostolic Delegate and then returned to Mexico in 1938. He was still Archbishop of Morelia when he died on 12 December 1941 at the age of 76.

Notes

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Leopoldo Ruiz y Flóres
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz y Flóres, Leopoldo 1865 births 1941 deaths People from Amealco de Bonfil Apostolic Nuncios to Mexico Roman Catholic archbishops of Morelia