Celso Morga Iruzubieta (born 28 January 1948 in Huércanos,

La Rioja, Spain La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and N� ...

) is the current Archbishop of Mérida-Badajoz. He had previously served as Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, since his appointment by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

on 29 December 2010 Iruzubieta studied at a diocesan seminary. He was ordained a priest on 24 June 1972 for the diocese of Calahorra y la Calzada in

Logroño Logroño () is the capital of the province of La Rioja, situated in northern Spain. Traversed in its northern part by the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of passage, such as the Camino de Santiago. Its borders were disputed b ...

, Spain. He received his doctorate in Canon Law at the University of Navarre. He was pastor and

judicial vicar In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar or episcopal official ( la, links=no, officialis) is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserv ...

in his diocese. For four years he carried out his ministry in the Archdiocese of Cordoba, Argentina as an adjunct judicial vicar and professor 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 t ...

at the diocesan seminary. He has served in the Congregation for Clergy since 1987, and has held the posts of Head of Office (2000–09) and Under-secretary (2009–10). He was named Secretary, and

Titular Archbishop 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 '' Alba Maritima'' on 29 December 2010. He succeeds

Mauro Piacenza Mauro Piacenza JCD (born 15 September 1944) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 2010, he has served as Penitentiary Major of the Apostolic Penitentiary since his appointment by Pope Francis on 21 September 2013. He was ...

, who was appointed Prefect of the Congregation. Along with

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 archdio ...

Marcello Bartolucci Marcello Bartolucci (born 9 April 1944) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has held the rank of archbishop since 2011 and was the Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 2010 to 2021. He held several other posts i ...

, Secretary of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints, who was named on the same day, and Archbishop

Savio Tai Fai Hon Savio Hon Tai-fai SDB (; born 21 October 1950) is a Roman Catholic archbishop who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He served as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2010 to 2017. Before that he w ...

, Secretary of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

, who was appointed on 23 December, he was consecrated bishop in on 5 February 2011 by Pope

Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

, with Angelo Cardinal Sodano and Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. On 8 October 2014 he was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Mérida-Badajoz by Pope Francis, and he succeeded as Archbishop on Thursday, May 21, 2015.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morga Iruzubieta, Celso Living people 1948 births 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Spain Spanish Roman Catholic titular archbishops Members of the Congregation for the Clergy People from La Rioja University of Navarra alumni