Pedro Rubiano Sáenz

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rubiano and the second or maternal family name is Sáenz.

His Eminence Pedro Rubiano Sáenz
Cardinal, Archbishop of Bogotá
See	Bogotá
Installed	27 December 1994
Term ended	8 July 2010
Predecessor	Mario Revollo Bravo
Successor	Rubén Salazar Gómez
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Cúcuta (1972–1983) Archbishop Coadjutor of Cali (1983–1985) Archbishop of Cali (1985–1994)
Orders
Ordination	5 July 1956 by Julio Caicedo Téllez
Consecration	11 July 1971 by Angelo Palmas
Created cardinal	8 February 2001 by Pope John Paul II
Rank	Cardinal Priest
Personal details
Born	(1932-09-13)13 September 1932 Cartago, Colombia
Died	15 April 2024(2024-04-15) (aged 91) Bogotá, Colombia
Denomination	Catholic Church
Motto	Caritas Christi urget us Latin: The Love of Christ compels us
Coat of arms

Styles of Pedro Rubiano Sáenz
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Bogotá

Pedro Rubiano Sáenz (13 September 1932 – 15 April 2024) was a Colombian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Bogotá from 1995 to 2010. He became a bishop in 1972 and was Bishop of Cúcuta from 1972 to 1983, and then Archbishop of Cali from 1985 to 1994, after two years as coadjutor there. Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal in 2001.

Biography

Early life and ordination

Pedro Rubiano Sáenz was born in Cartago, Colombia, on 13 September 1933, the fourth of six sons born to Pedro Rubiano and Tulia Sáenz. He attended the Colegio de María Auxiliadora and the Colegio Ramírez, then the Diocesan College of Santa Teresita in the Bitaco neighborhood, and then at the minor seminaries of Cali and Popayán. He studied at the seminary in Popayán and the Université Laval in Quebec, where he earned his licentiate in sacred theology. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Cali on 8 July 1956 from Bishop Julio Caicedo y Téllez. He then studied at Catholic University in Washington and at the Institute for Social Studies of Santiago de Chile. He fulfilled a variety of pastoral assignments in the 15 years following his ordination, including chaplain of the Marco Fidel Suárez Military Aviation School, the Santa Librada national school, and the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios clinic. He was pastor and founder of the parishes of San Pedro Claver and Nuestra Señora de la Providencia. By 1971 he was pastoral vicar of the archdiocese and vice-rector of the Major School "Santiago di Cali".

Bishop and archbishop

On 2 June 1971, Pope Paul VI named him bishop of Cúcuta. He received his episcopal consecration on 11 July 1972 in Cali from Archbishop Angelo Palmas, Nuncio to Colombia. Pope John Paul II appointed him Coadjutor Archbishop of Cali on 26 March 1983 and he succeeded as archbishop there on 7 February 1985.

From 1983 to 1989 he was vice president of the International Commission for Migration and Refugees based in Geneva. From April 1990 to January 1991, he was apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Popayán.

Pope John Paul transferred him to the metropolitan see of Bogotá on 27 December 1994. He was installed there on 11 February 1995. On 12 October 1995, he was made a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants. One of his most significant initiatives was the creation of the Archdiocesan Food Bank, which continued to operate as long as he lived.

On 4 August 1995 he established the National Conciliation Commission in the hope that a broad and diverse coalition might help resolve Colombia's political divisions and end armed conflict.

Rubiano Sáenz was elected to a three-year term as president of the Colombian Bishops Conference in 1990 and re-elected in 1993.

Cardinal

Pope John Paul made Rubiano Sáenz Cardinal-Priest of Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo in the consistory of 21 February 2001. He was made a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education on 15 May 2001 and his membership on the Pontifical Council for Migrants was renewed on 18 May 2001.

In 2002, he was elected to another term as president of the Colombian Bishops Conference. He was also president of the economic committee of the Episcopal Council of Latin America (CELAM) from May 2003 to July 2007.

In 2003, he oversaw the creation of three new suffragan dioceses from the territory of the Archdiocese of Bigotá: Engativá, Fontibón and Soacha.

Rubiano Sáenz was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

On 31 January 2008, he mocked the idea that achieving peace between the government of Colombia and the FARC rebels required the intervention of Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez. He said: "The only thing left is to kneel down before Chavez! I believe we Colombians have dignity."

In July 2009, he advised Colombian president Álvaro Uribe against seeking a third term as president. He said: "Two terms is a lot. He has carried out important work for the good of the country and for peace. It would be better for him if after finishing his second term he left office and later on ran again."

Pope Benedict accepted Rubiano Sáenz's resignation as Archbishop of Bogotá on 8 July 2010, three years after he had submitted it.

Rubiano Sáenz was apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until the installation of his successor, Archbishop Rubén Salazar Gómez, on 13 August 2010.

Death

Rubiano Sáenz died at his residence in Bogotá on 15 April 2024 at the age of 91.

Views

Abortion

Rubiano Sáenz has pleaded with anti-abortion advocates worldwide to join in a massive prayer effort to stop abortion from being legalized in the country. He warned that the procedure leads to an automatic excommunication.

Honors

Rubiano Sáenz was honoured with the following:

• Order of Boyacá
• Sovereign Military Order of Malta
• Order pro merito Melitensi

External links

• "Rubiano Sáenz Card. Pedro". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
• Biography at catholic-pages.com