Faustino Sainz Muñoz
Encyclopedia
Faustino Sainz Muñoz is a Spanish
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as the Nuncio to Great Britain
from 2004 until December 2010, having been appointed by Pope John Paul II
in 2004.
, Ciudad Real Province, Faustino Sainz Muñoz was ordained
to the priesthood
on 19 December 1964. He entered the diplomatic
service of the Holy See
in 1970, serving in the Pontifical Representations in Senegal
and Scandinavia
, and then in the Council of Public Affairs of the Church of the Vatican Secretariat of State. As a junior diplomat in Finland
, he was dispatched as part of the Holy See's delegation to the preparatory talks of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(CSCE) in 1975; the delegation diligently ensured that religious freedom
was included in the Helsinki Accords
. Upon his returning to the Vatican
that same year, Sainz was made the Holy See’s liaison with Poland
, Hungary
, and later the Soviet Union
and Yugoslavia
.
He traveled to Latin America
in 1978, where he accompanied Antonio Cardinal Samoré in successfully averting war
between Chile
and Argentina
over the Beagle conflict
. Sainz, who accompanied Pope John Paul on his visit to his native Poland in June 1979, describes the crowd's applause during the Pope's homily
at a Mass
on Victory Square in Warsaw
as “an image that [he] cannot forget...it was the beginning of the end of Communism
in Poland
”.
On 29 October 1988, he was appointed Pro
-Nuncio
to Cuba
and Titular Archbishop
of Novaliciana by John Paul. Sainz received his episcopal consecration
on the following 18 December (a day before his twenty-fourth anniversary of priestly ordination) from Agostino Cardinal Casaroli, with Ángel Cardinal Suquía Goicoechea
and Archbishop Maximino Romero de Lema serving as co-consecrators
. While in this post, he held many discussions with Fidel Castro
about episcopal cooperation in improving the position of the Cuban Church
and the welfare of the Cuban people.
Sainz was later named Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
on 7 October 1992 (offering the nunciature as a place of relief and refuge to those persecuted during the Rwandan Genocide
), to the European Community on 21 January 1999, and to Great Britain
on 11 December 2004. The Archbishop believes in obedience to Church doctrine, once stating, "Thinking changes, society changes, fashion changes. But the central concept of human dignity from conception does not change". Despite this, he has shown himself a keen supporter of the Catholic weekly, The Tablet
, often criticised for its left-leaning, anti-Roman views.
On 16 May 2010 Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz suffered a mild stroke. He is receiving medical care in hospital in Spain. Despite this, the Archbishop was present when Pope Benedict XVI
arrived at Edinburgh airport, being the first to welcome him, and being present throughout the papal visit which occurred on September 2010. On 12 November 2010 Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz has announced his retirement as papal nuncio to Great Britain during thanksgiving Mass for the papal visit at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. On 2 December 2010 a Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated at Westminster Cathedral, which marked the end of his role as papal nuncio to Great Britain.
On 28 January 2011 Archbishop had his audience with Pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop Faustino is diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, and returned to his native Spain where he will continue his chemotherapy.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as the Nuncio to Great Britain
Nunciature to Great Britain
The Nunciature to Great Britain is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St. James with the rank of an ambassador. The office of the nunciature is located...
from 2004 until December 2010, having been appointed by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 2004.
Biography
Born in AlmadénAlmadén
Almadén, Spain, is a town and municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The town is located at 4° 49' W and 38° 46' N and is 589 meters above sea level. Almadén is approximately 200 km south of Madrid in the Sierra Morena...
, Ciudad Real Province, Faustino Sainz Muñoz was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on 19 December 1964. He entered the diplomatic
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
service of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
in 1970, serving in the Pontifical Representations in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and then in the Council of Public Affairs of the Church of the Vatican Secretariat of State. As a junior diplomat in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, he was dispatched as part of the Holy See's delegation to the preparatory talks of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe , also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent U.S. Government agency created by Congress in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other OSCE commitments. It was established in 1976 pursuant to...
(CSCE) in 1975; the delegation diligently ensured that religious freedom
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
was included in the Helsinki Accords
Helsinki Accords
thumb|300px|[[Erich Honecker]] and [[Helmut Schmidt]] in Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe held in Helsinki 1975....
. Upon his returning to the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
that same year, Sainz was made the Holy See’s liaison with Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and later the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
He traveled to Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
in 1978, where he accompanied Antonio Cardinal Samoré in successfully averting war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
between Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
over the Beagle conflict
Beagle conflict
The Beagle Conflict was a border dispute between Chile and Argentina over the possession of Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands and the scope of the maritime jurisdiction associated with those islands that brought the countries to the brink of war in 1978....
. Sainz, who accompanied Pope John Paul on his visit to his native Poland in June 1979, describes the crowd's applause during the Pope's homily
Homily
A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a homily is usually given during Mass at the end of the Liturgy of the Word...
at a Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
on Victory Square in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
as “an image that [he] cannot forget...it was the beginning of the end of Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Poland
Polish communism
Polish communists can trace their origins to early 20th century, as is the case in nearby countries. The first significant Polish Marxist was Stanisław Brzozowski ....
”.
On 29 October 1988, he was appointed Pro
Promagistrate
A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office. A legal innovation of the Roman Republic, the promagistracy was invented in order to provide Rome with governors of overseas territories instead of having to elect...
-Nuncio
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Titular Archbishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Novaliciana by John Paul. Sainz received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following 18 December (a day before his twenty-fourth anniversary of priestly ordination) from Agostino Cardinal Casaroli, with Ángel Cardinal Suquía Goicoechea
Ángel Suquía Goicoechea
Angel Suquía Goicoechea was a Roman Catholic Cardinal who served as Archbishop of Madrid from 1983 until 1994....
and Archbishop Maximino Romero de Lema serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. While in this post, he held many discussions with Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
about episcopal cooperation in improving the position of the Cuban Church
Roman Catholicism in Cuba
The Roman Catholic Church in Cuba is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome....
and the welfare of the Cuban people.
Sainz was later named Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
on 7 October 1992 (offering the nunciature as a place of relief and refuge to those persecuted during the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
), to the European Community on 21 January 1999, and to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
on 11 December 2004. The Archbishop believes in obedience to Church doctrine, once stating, "Thinking changes, society changes, fashion changes. But the central concept of human dignity from conception does not change". Despite this, he has shown himself a keen supporter of the Catholic weekly, The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
, often criticised for its left-leaning, anti-Roman views.
On 16 May 2010 Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz suffered a mild stroke. He is receiving medical care in hospital in Spain. Despite this, the Archbishop was present when Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
arrived at Edinburgh airport, being the first to welcome him, and being present throughout the papal visit which occurred on September 2010. On 12 November 2010 Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz has announced his retirement as papal nuncio to Great Britain during thanksgiving Mass for the papal visit at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. On 2 December 2010 a Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated at Westminster Cathedral, which marked the end of his role as papal nuncio to Great Britain.
On 28 January 2011 Archbishop had his audience with Pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop Faustino is diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, and returned to his native Spain where he will continue his chemotherapy.
Trivia
- Archbishop Sainz Muñoz is a Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
fan, and a walking and tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
enthusiast. - He holds a doctorate in canon lawDoctor of Canon LawDoctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church.It may also be abbreviated I.C.D. or dr.iur.can. , ICDr., D.C.L., D.Cnl., D.D.C., or D.Can.L. . Doctor of both laws are J.U.D...
, and was awarded an honoraryHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
doctorate in laws from the University of AberdeenUniversity of AberdeenThe University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
on July 2, 2007. - Besides his native SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, he can speak EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.