Diocese Roman Catholic Diocese of Calahorra y La Calzada-Logroño | ||
Juan José Omella i Omella (Cretas, Teruel, April 21, 1946) is an archbishop from Spain. He was born in the Western Strip of Aragon. He has been the metropolitan archbishop of Barcelona since December 26, 2015.
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Biography
Omella was born in the Catalan-speaking Western Strip of Aragon in the village of Cretas. One of his two sisters still lives in the village, while the other died at a young age.
It was the priest of the village who taught him what he needed to know to enter the Seminary. He studied in the Seminary of Zaragoza, and in education centres for missionaries in Leuven and Jerusalem.
On September 20, 1970 he became a priest. He then worked for the church in Zaragoza and in Zaire.
In 1996 he was appointed Auxiliary bishop of Zaragoza by Pope John Paul II.
In 1999 he was appointed bishop of Barbastre-Montsó. Later he was sent to Uesca, and Jaca. In 2004 he was designated bishop of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño.
He has been a member of the Commission of Social Ministry of the Spanish Episcopal Conference since 1996, and president of the same commission from 2002 to 2008 and again since 2014. In November 2014 Pope Francis appointed him member of the Congregation for Bishops.
Archbishop of Barcelona
On November 6, 2015 he was appointed Archbishop of Barcelona by Pope Francis. He formally assumed the position on December 26 of that year.