Pablo Muñoz Vega (23 May 1903 – 3 June 1994) was an
Ecuadorian
Ecuadorians ( es, ecuatorianos) are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collect ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
and
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, ...
and professed member from the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
who served as the
Archbishop of Quito from 1967 until his resignation in 1985.
His cause of canonization commenced on 9 April 2016 after the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...
granted their formal approval of the cause on 10 December 2015; this gives him the title
Servant of God.
Life
Pablo Muñoz Vega was born in Mira on 23 May 1903 as the fourth child to Antonio Salustiano Muñoz Carrera and Josefa Vega. He was
baptized
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
on 24 May as "Segundo Pablo Mordoqueo".
[
He joined the ]Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
on 27 September 1918 (beginning his novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
on 26 November 1918) and studied at the Jesuit houses for studies in Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha ...
(such as the San Ignacio school in Cotocollao in 1915) and in 1922 obtained a bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in humanities. He later studied from 1929 to 1930 in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
and then was transferred to Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...
in 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")
, ...
at the Colegio Maximo de Oña; he also studied in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
at the Pontifical Gregorian since September 1932.[ He studied humanities as well as ]Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
and Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and obtained a degree from College Maximo San Ignacio in Quito in 1927 and then a doctorate from Facultad Teologia at the school of Oña in 1931. He acquired his doctorate in 1937 and was titled "Magister Aggregatus". Vega made his initial profession on 27 February 1920. Vega later taught at Cotocollao and later at the Jesuit school of San Felipe Neri in Riobamba
Riobamba (, full name San Pedro de Riobamba; Quechua: ''Rispampa'') is the capital of Chimborazo Province in central Ecuador, and is located in the Chambo River Valley of the Andes. It is south of Ecuador's capital Quito and located at an elev ...
from 1926 until 1928 and he began developing an interest and focus in the works of Saint Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...
who would become the basis for some of his spiritual writings.[
Vega was ]ordained
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 var ...
to the priesthood in 1933 in the Sant'Ignazio Church in Rome and commenced further studies there from 1933 until 1937. Once he completed his studies he served as a staff member in the philosophical department at the Gregorian from 1937 until 1949 at which point he was appointed as the Jesuit provincial for Ecuador later in 1958; he held that post until 1964.[ Vega also served as an expert at the ]Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
in 1962 at the council's first session and would later then participate as a bishop in the second and third sessions of the council. He also served as the rector of the Pontifical Pio-Latin American College in Rome from 1955 until 1958 and served as the Rector Magnificus of the Pontifical Gregorian from 1958 until 1963.[
]Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
appointed him as the Titular Archbishop of Ceramus (with the rank pro hac vice
In the legal field, ''pro hac vice'' () is a practice in common law jurisdictions whereby a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction. Although ''pro ...
of archbishop since it was a titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...
and not a titular archbishopric) and as the Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, 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:
* Coadj ...
"sedis datus" for the Quito archdiocese in 1964.[ He received his ]episcopal consecration
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
on 19 March 1964 in Rome from Cardinal Carlo Confalonieri
Carlo Confalonieri (25 July 1893 – 1 August 1986) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops from 1967 to 1973, and dean of the College of Cardinals from 1977 until his death. Co ...
. He succeeded to the metropolitan see
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
of Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha ...
on 23 June 1967 after serving as its coadjutor which meant that he had the right of succession in that role.
He attended the final two sessions of the Second Vatican Council as a bishop from 1964 until 1965. He attended the 1967 gathering of bishops in Rome from 29 September to 29 October and also became the President of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference; he had two terms from 1969 to 1973 and then 1975 to 1984.[ He attended several other episcopal gatherings in Rome spanning the next decade.
Vega was made the Cardinal-Priest of San Roberto Bellarmino on 28 April 1969 and received his title on 30 April from Paul VI.][ He participated in the first conclave in 1978 that elected ]Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I ( la, Ioannes Paulus I}; it, Giovanni Paolo I; born Albino Luciani ; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 26 August 1978 to his death 33 days later. Hi ...
and the following conclave that October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôct� ...
that saw the election of Pope 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 ...
. In his role as a cardinal he was a member of both the Congregation for Catholic Education
, type = Congregation
, seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg
, seal_size = 100px
, seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See
, logo =
, picture =Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg
, picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza ...
and the .
In 1979 he attended the Third General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate in Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
in Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
and attended a gathering of the College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appo ...
from 5–9 November 1979. He lost the right to vote in conclaves after he turned 80 in 1983. He resigned from the pastoral governance of the archdiocese in 1985 as was a requirement of canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
.[ Vega also attended his last conference of the Latin American Episcopate in the ]Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
from 12 to 28 October 1992.
He died in his old see on 3 June 1994 and is buried in the archdiocesan cathedral.
Beatification process
On 21 February 2013 a formal request for the beatification process was lodged to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...
in Rome. The C.C.S. granted their formal approval to the cause on 10 December 2015 with the declaration of "nihil obstat
''Nihil obstat'' (Latin for "nothing hinders" or "nothing stands in the way") is a declaration of no objection that warrants censoring of a book, e.g., Catholic published books, to an initiative, or an appointment.
Publishing
The phrase ''ni ...
" (nothing against) to the cause. The diocesan process commenced on 9 April 2016 in Quito.
References
External links
Hagiography Circle
The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muñoz Vega, Pablo
1903 births
1994 deaths
20th-century Ecuadorian educators
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ecuador
20th-century venerated Christians
Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI
Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI
Ecuadorian cardinals
Ecuadorian Jesuits
Jesuit cardinals
Participants in the Second Vatican Council
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
Academic staff of the Pontifical Gregorian University
Roman Catholic religious educators
Ecuadorian Servants of God
Roman Catholic archbishops of Quito