José Lebrún Moratinos (19 March 1919 – 21 February 2001) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Caracas. Besides his native Spanish, he spoke Italian, Latin and French.

Early life and priesthood

He was born in Puerto Cabello,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, as the eldest of the five children. He was

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

in his native city by Felipe Rincón González, Archbishop of Caracas. He was educated at Colegio San José, of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He entered the Interdiocesan

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of Caracas, where he was taught from 1934 until 1937. He travelled to Rome to study at 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 ...

. He earned a licentiate in philosophy in 1941. He then started studying theology but had to leave

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

because of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood on 19 December 1943. He served from 1943 until 1956 in Valencia, as a faculty member, spiritual director and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of its seminary as well as its chaplain. He did pastoral work in several parishes and was chaplain of the local jail.

Episcopate

Pope Pius XII appointed him

titular bishop 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 ...

of Arado and auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Maracaibo on 2 August 1956. He was consecrated exactly a month later by the Nuncio to Venezuela. He was appointed

Apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

of the see of Maracaibo on 23 October 1957. He was transferred to the see of

Maracay ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second: Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maraca ...

in 1958. He was transferred to the see of Valencia in Venezuela in 1962. As a bishop he attended the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

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 Titular Archbishop of Voncaria and Coadjutor bishop of Caracas on 16 September 1972. He was elected vice-president of the Venezuelan

Episcopal conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

. 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 ...

of Caracas on 24 May 1980.

Cardinalate

He was created and proclaimed

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of '' S. Pancrazio'' in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

of 2 February 1983 by

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 ...

. He was elected as President of the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela, serving from 1984 to 1990. He resigned the pastoral government of the Archdiocese on 27 May 1995. He lost the right to participate in a

conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

upon reaching the age of 80 in 1999. He died on 21 February 2001 in Caracas. He is buried along with all the other bishops of Caracas.

Canonization

In May 2021, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caracas has initiated the initital steps for his canonization process.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebrun Moratinos, Jose 1919 births 2001 deaths People from Puerto Cabello Venezuelan cardinals Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Venezuela Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Roman Catholic archbishops of Caracas Roman Catholic bishops of Maracay Roman Catholic bishops of Maracaibo Roman Catholic bishops of Valencia en Venezuela Venezuelan Roman Catholic archbishops 21st-century venerated Christians