The West Is Falling. Cardinal Müller Has A Solution.

Cardinal-designate focuses on the pastoral at doctrinal congregation

By Junno Arocho Esteves
Posted: 6/5/2018

 

Archbishop Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks at a news conference to present the document, "Placuit Deo," at the Vatican March 1. Archbishop Ladaria was one of 14 new cardinals named by Pope Francis May 20. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)



VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When he was named secretary of the Vatican's doctrinal congregation, Cardinal-designate Luis F. Ladaria Ferrer marveled at being unexpectedly thrust into the limelight.

"That was very surprising. I would never have thought of ending up here. And I'm not the only one, seeing that my name was never mentioned in the newspapers," he said in August 2008 in an interview with the Italian Catholic magazine "30 Giorni."

Since then, the Jesuit prelate has had his share of surprises, which culminated in his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and now as a cardinal.

Born in Manacor, Mallorca, April 19, 1944, Cardinal-designate Ladaria earned a law degree at the University of Madrid. After obtaining his degree, however, he "realized that was not what I wanted."

"I wanted to become a priest, and I liked the Society of Jesus, which I knew. And so, it was a path open before me that I set out on almost naturally," he told "30 Giorni."

He entered the Jesuits in 1966 and, after studying theology and philosophy in Spain and Germany, he was ordained to the priesthood July 29, 1973.

As someone who "liked studying," the Spanish prelate went on to earn a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1975 and began teaching dogmatic theology at the Pontifical University Comillas in Madrid. Nine years later, he returned to the Gregorian to teach, and he served as vice rector of the university from 1986 to 1994.

But, Cardinal-designate told "30 Giorni" that his time as vice-rector was "not very important."

"The Gregorian taught me to live in an international environment with students from over 100 countries, of different languages, races and cultures. All united by the love of study, but above all, of the Lord and his church. In a real university, students not only learn from professors, but also the reverse occurs. And I learned a lot from my students," he said.

Cardinal-designate Ladaria also said his time in Rome as a professor shaped his view on handling church issues that often can be used to advance extremist agendas, both on the left and the right.

"I must say that I don't like extremisms; either progressive or traditionalist ones," he said. "I believe that there is a middle path, which is taken by most professors of theology in Rome and in the church in general, which I think is the correct path to take."