Fernando Sáenz Lacalle (16 November 1932 – 28 April 2022) was a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate, 10th

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and sixth

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 archdi ...

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

, El Salvador. He was the successor of Arturo Rivera y Damas. Sáenz held the post once held by Archbishop

Óscar Romero Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (15 August 1917 – 24 March 1980) was a prelate of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador, Archdiocese of San Salvador, the Titular ...

, who was assassinated in 1980.

Role as bishop

Liberation theology

In the years following his installation, Sáenz was accused by critics of eviscerating the “

preferential option for the poor The option for the poor, or the preferential option for the poor, is a Catholic social teaching that the Bible gives priority to the well-being of the poor and powerless. It was first articulated by the proponents of Latin American liberation th ...

” of his predecessors, notably Romero, by clamping down on progressive church movements affiliated with liberation theology with a series of personnel movements, closing of programs, and changes to seminary curriculum. Sáenz defended his stances by saying that the Roman Catholic Church must speak on behalf of the poor and defenseless, but never become involved in activism or politics. Sáenz was a member of the

Opus Dei is an institution of the Catholic Church that was founded in Spain in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá. Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members seek holiness in their everyday occupations and societies. Opus Dei is officially r ...

. He supported the canonization cause of his predecessor, Romero.

Metropolitan cathedral

Sáenz presided over the completion of the Metropolitan Cathedral on 19 March 1999. Sáenz seemed to find his voice after two deadly earthquakes struck El Salvador a year apart in 2000 and 2001, with the archbishop springing into action to marshal international relief. In more recent years, Sáenz advocated conservative Catholic views on sex and contraception, called for civil cooperation with police authorities to combat

gang A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Wiktionary:territory#Noun, territory in a ...

violence, and criticized labor strikes in the health sector as an unjustifiable denial of service to hospital patients.

Retirement

In accordance with Canon law, Sáenz tendered his retirement as archbishop on 27 December 2008, and it was accepted. Bishop José Luis Escobar Alas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Vicente, El Salvador, was named the eleventh

and seventh

San Salvador, El Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

on Monday, 29 December 2008, by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

References

External links

Catholic-hierarchy.org entry for Fernando Sáenz Lacalle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saenz Lacalle, Fernando 1932 births 2022 deaths People from Tudela (comarca) Roman Catholic archbishops of San Salvador Opus Dei members University of Zaragoza alumni Spanish expatriates in El Salvador Spanish Roman Catholic bishops in Central America 20th-century Spanish Roman Catholic priests Pontifical Lateran University alumni