José Manuel Estepa Llaurens

José Manuel Estepa Llaurens (born 1 January 1926) is a cardinal of the Catholic Church and Military Archbishop Emeritus of Spain.

Born in Andújar, Spain on 1 January 1926. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical University of Salamanca and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in pastoral theology. He obtained a licentiate in pastoral catechesis at the Institut Catholique, Paris, in 1956.

He was ordained a priest on 27 June 1954. He was chaplain of Colegio Mayor Universitario Guadalupe of Madrid, from 1956 until 1960. He served as professor at the Hispanicamerican Theological Seminary of Madrid, from 1956 to 1964 and director of the Department of Pastoral of Obra de Cooperación Sacerdotal Hispanoamericana (OCSHA) from 1957 to 1961. He served as the assessore to the presidency of the Episcopal Council of Latin America (CELAM) from 1958 to 1967. He also collaborated with the Catholic Action. From 1965 until 1971, he was national director of catechesis of the Spanish Episcopal Conference; as well as general delegate of the Episcopal Commission for Education. Consultor of the Congregation for the Clergy, 1971.

He was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Madrid and Titular Bishop of Tisili by the Holy See on 5 September 1972. He was consecrated to the Episcopate on 15 October 1972, his principal consecrator was Cardinal Vicente Enrique y Tarancón, Archbishop of Madrid, and his principal co-consecrators were Marcelo González Martín, Archbishop of Toledo and José López Ortiz, Titular Archbishop of Gradum.

He was appointed the Ordinary of the Military Archbishopric of Spain and Titular Archbishop of Velebusdus on 30 July 1983. His titular see was changed to Titular Archbishop of Italica on 18 November 1989, but resigned it on 7 March 1998. He retired as Military Archbishop of Spain on 30 October 2003. He was member of the Commission of six bishops that redacted the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

He was created Cardinal-Priest of S. Gabriele Arcangelo all’Acqua Traversa by Pope Benedict XVI in a consistory at St. Peter's Basilica on 20 November 2010. Because he had already reached age 80, he was not eligible to participate in a conclave.