Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer (born 19 April 1944) is a Spanish

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, theologian and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. After a thirty-year career teaching theology, he joined the Roman Curia in 2004 as Secretary-General of the International Theological Commission. He was made an

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 ...

when named secretary of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsib ...

(CDF) in 2008 and was raised to the rank of cardinal in 2018, after becoming prefect of the CDF in 2017.

Birth and education

Ladaria Ferrer was born in Manacor, on the island of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

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") , ...

. He studied at the University of Madrid, graduating with a degree in law in 1966. He entered the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

on 17 October 1966. After attending the

Comillas Pontifical University Comillas Pontifical University ( es, Universidad Pontificia Comillas) is a private Catholic higher education institution run by the Spanish Province of the Society of Jesus in Madrid Spain. The university is involved in a number of academic exch ...

in Madrid and the

Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology (German: ''Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen'') is a higher education Jesuit college in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The school offers a 10-semester Magister in Catholic Th ...

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, Ladaria 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 ...

to the priesthood on 29 July 1973. In 1975 he obtained a doctorate in theology from the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, with a thesis entitled, ''The Holy Spirit in St Hilary of Poitiers''.

Priestly ministry

Ladaria Ferrer became professor of dogmatic theology and the history of dogma at the Comillas Pontifical University. In 1984, he assumed the same position at the

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 ...

, where he was vice-rector from 1986 to 1994. He became a member of the International Theological Commission in 1992 and a consultor of the

in 1995. In March 2004, Ladaria Ferrer was named Secretary-General of the International Theological Commission. He led the Commission's evaluation, beginning in 2006, of the concept of

limbo In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...

and the prospects for salvation of infants who die unbaptized. The Commission concluded, in his words, that "there are more appropriate ways to address the issue of the fate of children who die without having received baptism, for whom a hope of salvation cannot be ruled out."

Episcopal ministry and work in the Curia

On 9 July 2008,

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 ...

appointed Ladaria Ferrer the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and made him an archbishop with the

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 archbi ...

of Thibica. His episcopal

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

took place on 26 July 2008. The principal consecrator was Cardinal

Tarcisio Bertone Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone (born 2 December 1934) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church and a Vatican diplomat. A cardinal, he served as Archbishop of Vercelli from 1991 to 1995, as Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine o ...

, his predecessor as Secretary of the CDF. The co-consecrators were Cardinal William Joseph Levada and Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, one of the founders of the Community of Sant'Egidio. His appointment was criticized by some who considered his writings like ''Theology of original sin and grace'' and ''Theological Anthropology'' unorthodox. He told an interviewer: "I don't like extremisms, either progressive, or traditionalist ones. I believe that there is a ''via media'', which is taken by the majority of professors of Theology in Rome and in the Church in general, which I think is the correct path to take.... Everyone is free to criticize and make the judgments they want. If you ask me if I'm concerned I have to say that these opinions don't concern me too much. Besides, if I was appointed to this office, I must presume that my works do not deserve these judgments." He continued to be general secretary of the International Theological Commission until 22 April 2009, when he resigned and was succeeded by Charles Morerod, O.P. On 13 November 2008, he was appointed a consultor of the

Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dic ...

and on 31 January 2009, a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He was named a member of the Holy See's team charged with the dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X that began on 26 October 2009. On 2 August 2016, he was named President of the Study Commission on the Women’s Diaconate, formed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

to consider the possibility of allowing women to serve as

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

s. Ladaria Ferrer is considered to be

theologically Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

orthodox. He also has a predilection for the early Church fathers,

patrology Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

, and

Christology In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Diff ...

. When asked in August 2008 to describe the issues facing the CDF he said: "I can't go into details. Our Congregation always moves with discretion and speaks exclusively through its acts."

Prefect

On 1 July 2017, Pope Francis appointed Ladaria prefect of CDF succeeding Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller. Ladaria also succeeded to the offices held ''ex officio'' by the prefect: president of the Pontifical Commission ''Ecclesia Dei'' (suppressed January 2019), president of the

Pontifical Biblical Commission The Pontifical Biblical Commission () is a pontifical commission established within the Roman Curia to ensure the proper interpretation and defense of the Bible. Since 1988, it has been closely attached to the Congregation for the Doctrine of t ...

, and president of the International Theological Commission. On 20 May 2018, Pope Francis announced that he planned to make Ladaria a cardinal on 28 June. At the 28 June consistory, he was assigned the deaconry of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio. In an essay printed in ''

L'Osservatore Romano ''L'Osservatore Romano'' (, 'The Roman Observer') is the daily newspaper of Vatican City State which reports on the activities of the Holy See and events taking place in the Catholic Church and the world. It is owned by the Holy See but is not ...

'' on 29 May 2018, Ladaria wrote that those who raise the possibility of female priests "create serious confusion among the faithful". Ladaria was named as a co-defendant in a private prosecution in France of Cardinal

Philippe Barbarin Philippe Xavier Christian Ignace Marie Barbarin (born 17 October 1950) is a French Roman Catholic prelate who was the Archbishop of Lyon from 2002 to 2020. He was made a cardinal in 2003. He was charged in 2017 and convicted in 2019 of failing ...

for failing to report a sexual abuser. In October 2018, the Vatican invoked diplomatic immunity on his behalf, since he was a minister of the Vatican City State, and the trial proceeded without him. Barbarin was found guilty in March 2019 and acquitted in late January 2020. On 14 February 2019, Pope Francis named Ladaria a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Pope Francis named him a member of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...

on 6 August 2019. He was named a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture on 11 November 2019.

Views and theology

Death penalty

Cardinal Ladaria in 2018, announcing changes to the

Catechism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adul ...

regarding capital punishment, said that it was consistent with Pope John Paul II's 1995

papal encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fro ...

Evangelium Vitae ''Evangelium vitae'' () translated in English to "The Gospel of Life", is a papal encyclical promulgated on 25 March 1995 by Pope John Paul II. It deals with issues pertaining to the sanctity of human life, including murder, abortion, euthana ...

'' and that the change "affirms that ending the life of a criminal as punishment for a crime is inadmissible because it attacks the dignity of the person, a dignity that is not lost even after having committed the most serious crimes". Ladaria further noted that opposition to the death penalty was based on an "understanding that the dignity of a person is not lost even after committing the most serious crimes". The cardinal also said that the changes were a "decisive commitment to favor a mentality that recognizes the dignity of every human life" while calling for "respectful dialogue with civil authorities" to formulate conditions to eliminate capital punishment wherever it is still in effect.

Female diaconate and ordination

Ladaria, just before his elevation to the cardinalate in 2018, said that while female deacons did exist in the early Church, they were not the same as their male counterparts, ie an equivocation of terms. He said that the commission he headed on the subject had to determine what the meaning of 'deaconesses' was. Ladaria had repeatedly said prior to this that the commission was not tasked with making an actual determination, but rather to present their findings to Pope Francis. The month before, Ladaria wrote an article for ''

'' in which he argued that the ruling against women being ordained to the priesthood was both infallible and definitive.

Euthanasia

In a letter addressed to Brother René Stockman in 2017, Ladaria affirmed the Church's "adherence to the principles of the sacredness of human life and the unacceptability of euthanasia". Ladaria addressed the letter in response to the practice of euthanasia in psychiatric hospitals of the Congregation of the Brothers of Charity's Belgian branch. Ladaria said that "euthanasia remains an inadmissible act, even in extreme cases" and affirmed that "Catholic teaching affirms the sacred value of human life" irrespective of age or circumstances such as disability or illness. He further criticized "the moral unacceptability of euthanasia" and "the impossibility of introducing this practice into Catholic schools" since it was akin to collaborating with a secular agenda from a secular authority, not a religious authority.

Marriage

In 2021 the CDF stated the Catholic Church did not have the power to bless same-sex unions. It stated that it is "impossible" for God to "bless sin" but the CDF did note the existence of some "positive elements" in the non-sexual aspects of same-sex relationships. Pope Francis approved the response by the CDF, saying it was "not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite".Archived
on 19 June 2022

Selected writings

*''El espíritu en Clemente Alejandrino: estudio teológico-antropológico'' (''The Spirit in Clement of Alexandria: a theological-anthropological study''), , 1980 *''Introduccion a la antropologica teologica'' (''Introduction to Anthropological Theology''), , 1993 *''El Dios Vivo y Verdadero: El Misterio de La Trinidad'' (''The Living and True God: The Mystery of the Trinity''), , 1998 *''Jesucristo, salvación de todos'' (''Jesus Christ, the salvation of all''), , 2007 *''Teologica del pecado original y de la gracia'' (''Theology of Original Sin and Grace''), , 2007 *''Jesús y el Espíritu: la unción'' (''Jesus and the Spirit: the anointing''), , 2013 *''La unción de la Gloria: en el Espíritu, por Cristo, al Padre'' (''The anointing of Glory: in the Spirit, through Christ, to the Father''), , 2014 Editor *''Diccionario de San Hilario de Poitiers'', 2006 * Hilario de Poitiers, ''Comentario al Evangelio de San Mateo'' (''Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew''), , 2010

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ladaria Ferrer, Luis 1944 births Living people Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI Cardinals created by Pope Francis Complutense University of Madrid alumni Roman Catholic titular archbishops Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni 20th-century Spanish Jesuits Jesuit cardinals Spanish Roman Catholic bishops 20th-century Spanish Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century Spanish cardinals People from Manacor Members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith International Theological Commission Comillas Pontifical University alumni 21st-century Spanish Roman Catholic theologians