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Archbishop Emeritus
Msgr. Juan José Asenjo Archbishop emeritus of Seville
Monsignor Juan José Asenjo Pelegrina was born on October 15, 1945 in the bosom of a believing family to which he owes part of his vocation. He has never denied his Castilian origins, and wherever he has exercised some pastoral responsibility he has left the imprint of a love for the land where he was born, the town of Sigüenza in Guadalajara.
After being ordained a priest in his diocese (1969), he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Toledo on April 20, 1997, a position he held until September 2003, when he left his native Castile for Andalusia, to which he has been dedicated since taking possession of the Diocese of Cordoba. There he had the opportunity to learn firsthand the idiosyncrasies of the Andalusian people, the uniqueness of their popular religiosity, the richness of their cultural heritage and a history that has marked the faith of a “quality” Christian people, as he often repeats.
His arrival in the Archdiocese of Seville was on November 5, 2009, a date with a marked symbolism as it coincided with the feast of St. Angela of the Cross, Mother Angelita. Previously, on January 17 of that year, he was sworn in as coadjutor Archbishop in a multitudinous ceremony that took place in the nave of the Crucero of the Cathedral of Seville.
His presence in the governing bodies of the Spanish Episcopal Conference has been a constant feature of his episcopal career. And his time on the Cultural Heritage Commission has given him a broad vision of the situation, challenges and needs of the Church in this field. The review of the last two decades highlights his involvement in the organization of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Spain in 2003 and the monitoring of the National Plan for Cathedrals, one of the best examples of collaboration between the administrations and the Church for the maintenance of a first class heritage.
The formation of future priests has been another of Monsignor Asenjo’s priorities. He usually affirms that the Seminary must be ‘the apple of the bishop’s eye’, and this has been precisely, together with Family Ministry or the formation of the laity, one of the pastoral areas in which he has been most involved since he arrived at the See of San Isidoro.