The Archbishop of Valladolid, Luis Argüello, swept this Monday in the poll vote that the Spanish bishops held in the afternoon at the meeting of the Plenary Assembly that meets this week to elect the new president of the Episcopal Conference (CEE).
Ecclesiastical sources assured Servimedia that Argüello is thus emerging as a favorite to be proclaimed the new president to replace Juan José Omella, who has headed the EEC for the last four years.
The bishops held a first vote this afternoon, as a poll, in which Argüello positioned himself as the top favorite to be elected president in the formal vote that will take place this Tuesday first thing in the morning.
After having served as general secretary of the Spanish bishops in the last term, Argüello received half of the votes of his colleagues this Monday, according to the same sources.
In this way, he was with a great advantage ahead of the archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo; of the archbishop of Oviedo, Jesús Sanz Montes; and the archbishop of Granada, José María Gil Tamayo; and the archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta. Other prelates would have added some merely testimonial support.
Argüello was appointed archbishop of Valladolid in June 2022 by Pope Francis, being then secretary general and spokesperson of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and in the position of auxiliary bishop of said diocese.
At the head of Valladolid, he took over from Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez, who had been archbishop of Valladolid since 2010 and who also presided over the Episcopal Conference in two different terms.
Argüello was born on May 16, 1953 in Meneses de Campos (Palencia). He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Law (1976) from the University of Valladolid. In this same city, he later studied ecclesiastical studies, at the center of the Augustinian Fathers. He was ordained a priest on September 27, 1986 and carried out his priestly ministry in the Valladolid diocese.
On April 14, 2016, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Valladolid. He received episcopal consecration on June 3 of the same year. On November 21, 2018, he was elected secretary general of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. He is, therefore, a member of the Permanent Commission and the Executive Commission.
