The Military Archbishopric of Spain ( es, Arzobispado Castrense de España) is a

military ordinariate A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation. Until 1986, they were called "military ...

of the

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 ...

. Immediately subject to 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 R ...

, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the Spanish Armed Forces and their families. Catedral Castrense Madrid

History

The first military vicariate-general,

Carlos de Borja y Centellas Carlos de Borja y Centellas (1663–1733) was a Spanish cardinal. He served as Patriarch of the West Indies and as the first Vicariate-General of the Spanish armies. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1720, after receiving the recommendation ...

, was appointed in 1705, but the position lapsed in

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. ...

in 1930. Twenty years later, a military vicariate was re-established on 5 August 1950, and a few months later a military vicar was appointed on 12 December 1950. It was elevated to a military ordinariate on 21 July 1986 and is headed by an archbishop. The

Episcopal seat A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

is located at the Cathedral of the Armed Forces (''Catedral de las Fuerzas Armadas'') in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

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") , ...

Office holders

Military bishops

* Jaime Cardona y Tur (appointed 11 July 1892 – died 6 January 1923) * Ramón Pérez y Rodríguez (appointed 7 January 1929 – translated to the

Patriarchate of the West Indies The Titular Patriarchate of the West Indies ( la, Patriarchatus Indiarum Occidentalium) is a Latin Rite titular patriarchate of the Roman Catholic Church. It is vacant since the death of its last holder in 1963.

30 June 1930)

Military vicars

* Luis Alonso Muñoyerro (appointed 12 December 1950 – died 23 September 1968) *

José López Ortiz José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, O.S.A. (appointed 18 February 1969 – retired 28 May 1977) *

Emilio Benavent Escuín Emilio Benavent Escuín (10 April 1914 – 4 January 2008) was a Spanish Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Biography Escuín was born in Valencia, Spain and was ordained a priest on 18 July 1943. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the ...

(appointed 25 May 1977 – resigned 27 October 1982) *

José Manuel Estepa Llaurens José Manuel Estepa Llaurens (1 January 1926 – 21 July 2019) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who was Military Archbishop of Spain from 1983 to 2003. He was made a cardinal in 2010. Biography Born in Andújar, Spain, on 1 Janua ...

(appointed 30 July 1983 – became Military

Ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (Every Little Thing album) (2011) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016) * "Ordinary" (Wayne Brady song) (2008) * ...

21 July 1986)

Military ordinaries

(appointed 21 July 1986 – retired 30 October 2003) *

Francisco Pérez González Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

(appointed 30 October 2003 – translated to the

Archdiocese of Pamplona y Tudela The Archdiocese of Pamplona y Tudela ( la, Pampilonen(sis) et Tudelen(sis)) is an archdiocese located in the cities of Pamplona and Tudela in Spain.

31 July 2007) *

Juan del Río Martín Juan del Río Martín (14 October 1947 – 28 January 2021) was a Spanish archbishop, Military Ordinary of Spain from 2008 until his death in 2021. Career In 1964 he obtained the Baccalaureate in his hometown. He entered the Seminary of Seville ...

(appointed 30 June 2008 – died 28 January 2021) *

Juan Antonio Aznárez Cobo ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

(appointed 15 November 2021)

Noncombatant status

:''See: Military chaplain#Non-combatant status''

Rank insignias

References

External links

Arzobispado Castrense de España
official website (in Spanish)

(Catholic-Hierarchy)

(GCatholic.org) {{authority control Roman Catholic dioceses in Spain

+ Military of Spain