Álvaro del Portillo

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Bishop Álvaro del Portillo.
Bishop Álvaro del Portillo.

Álvaro del Portillo, or Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Sollano, (March 11, 1914 - March 23, 1994), was a Spanish engineer and Roman Catholic bishop. He served as the prelate of Opus Dei between 1975 and 1994.

He was born in Madrid. He studied civil engineering and after obtaining his doctorate at the University of Madrid taught at its School of Engineering. He briefly worked with the Bureau of Highways and Bridges in the provinces crossed by the rivers Júcar, Duero and Ebro.

In 1935, he joined Opus Dei and was subsequently ordained to the priesthood on June 25, 1944. He continued his studies to obtain two additional doctorates: Philosophy and Letters; and Canon Law. He then dedicated himself exclusively to the ministry and government of Opus Dei as its Secretary General. During the pontificate of Pope Pius XII (1939-1958), he worked in several Dicasteries of the Holy See.

Bishop Álvaro del Portillo being consecrated by Pope John Paul II.
Bishop Álvaro del Portillo being consecrated by Pope John Paul II.

In 1963, he was named by Pope John XXIII as a consultant on the Pontifical Commission for the revision of the Code of Canon Law. Pope Paul VI named him consultant on several post-Conciliar commissions. In 1975, he was chosen general president of the Opus Dei and successor of Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, and in 1982, the Holy See appointed him as the first Prelate of Opus Dei. In 1991 he was consecrated a bishop by Pope John Paul II.

He has written extensively about pastoral and ecclesiological matters that examine among others, the role of the lay faithful in the Roman Catholic Church, the human side of priestly formation, the dynamics and functionality of pastoral structures. As Prelate, he also served as Grand Chancellor of the University of Piura in Peru.

Shortly after his 80th birthday, he returned to Rome on a pilgrimage from the Holy Land. He died shortly thereafter. On December 6, 2002, Msgr. Javier Echevarria Rodriguez ordered an investigation into the cause for canonization of Msgr. del Portillo.

[edit] Works

  • Faithful and laity in the Church (1969)
  • On the Priesthood (1970)
  • Dinamicità e funzionalità delle strutture pastorali
  • ¿Un nuevo Derecho Canónico?
  • Morale e Diritto
  • Immersed in God: Blessed Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei as Seen by His Successor, Bishop Álvaro Del Portillo -- by Álvaro Del Portillo and Cesare Cavalleri

[edit] Sources