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

Bishop 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 ...

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 archdio ...

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital it ...

, El Salvador. He was the successor of

Arturo Rivera y Damas Arturo Rivera y Damas (September 30, 1923 – November 26, 1994) was the ninth Bishop and fifth Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador. Msgr. Rivera's term as archbishop (1983–1994) coincided with the Salvadoran Civil War. He was the immediate ...

. 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 Archdiocese of San Salvador, the Titular Bishop of Tambeae, as Bishop of Santiago ...

, 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" of his predecessors, notably Romero, by clamping down on progressive church movements affiliated with

Liberation Theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". I ...

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 Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work ...

. 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 group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...

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 and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital it ...

on Monday, 29 December 2008, 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 ...

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 expatriate bishops 20th-century Spanish clergy Pontifical Lateran University alumni