Pablo Puente (prelate)

{{short description|Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church (1931–2022)}}

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type =

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend

| name = Pablo Puente Buces

| honorific-suffix =

| title = Apostolic Nuncio emeritus of Great Britain
Titular Archbishop of Macri

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| archdiocese =

| diocese =

| appointed = 31 July 1997

| enthroned =

| term_end = 23 October 2004

| predecessor = Luigi Barbarito

| successor = Faustino Sainz Muñoz

| other_post = Titular Archbishop of Macri

| previous_post = {{bulleted list | Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula (1993–1997) | Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon (1989–1997) | Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Cape Verde, Senegal, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Apostolic Delegate to Mauritania (1986–1989) | Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Indonesia (1980–1986)}}

| ordination = 2 April 1956

| ordained_by = José María Eguino y Trecu

| consecration = 25 May 1980

| consecrated_by = Agnelo Rossi, Gabino Díaz Merchán, and Juan Antonio del Val Gallo

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|06|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Colindres, Cantabria, Spain

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|12|04|1931|06|16|df=y}}

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| nationality = Spanish

| alma_mater =

| coat_of_arms =

| motto =

}}

{{Infobox bishopstyles

| name= Pablo Puente Buces

| dipstyle=

| offstyle=Your Excellency

| relstyle=Archbishop

| image = Template-Archbishop.svg

| image_size = 200px

}}

Pablo Puente Buces (16 June 1931 – 4 December 2022) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church, who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1962 to 2004. He became an archbishop in 1980 and held the title of Apostolic Nuncio to several countries. Diario Sur called him "a heavyweight of Vatican diplomacy".{{cite news | work = Diario Sur | language = es | access-date = 13 May 2019 | date = 21 August 2009 |first= Isabel | last = Urrutia| url = https://www.diariosur.es/20090821/sociedad/diplomatico-curtido-islam-nuevo-20090821.html | title = Un diplomático curtido en el Islam, nuevo nuncio del Papa en Españai }}

Biography

Pablo Puente was born in Colindres, Cantabria, Spain, on 16 June 1931. He earned his licentiates in philosophy in 1952 and in theology in 1956 at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid. He was ordained a priest on 2 April 1956. He then attended the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and obtained a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University.{{cite news | access-date = 3 May 2019 |language= es | date = 1 April 2006 |work=El Diario Montañés | url = https://www.eldiariomontanes.es/pg060401/prensa/noticias/Region/200604/01/DMO-REG-068.html | title = El arzobispo Pablo Puente celebra mañana sus bodas de oro sacerdotales | first = Mario | last = Cerro }}

Puente entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1962. His first assignments were in Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Kenya and Tanzania. In 1970 he was named Chief of the Spanish Language Section of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See.

Beginning in 1973 he worked in Lebanon and Yugoslavia. He was a member of the Holy See's delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Helsinki and in 1978 he headed the Vatican Delegation at the Minespol-II Conference of Unesco.

On 18 March 1980, Pope John Paul II appointed him titular archbishop of Macri and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Indonesia.{{cite book | access-date = 5 January 2020 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-72-1980-ocr.pdf | page = 373 | date = 1980 | volume = LXXII | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis}} He received his episcopal consecration on 25 May from Cardinal Agnelo Rossi.

On 15 March 1986, he was appointed Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Senegal and to Cape Verde as well as Apostolic Delegate to Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania.{{cite book | access-date = 5 January 2020 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-78-1986-ocr.pdf | pages = 394, 465| date = 1986| volume = LXXVIII | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis}} On 12 May he was given additional responsibility as Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Mali.{{cite book | access-date = 5 January 2020 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-78-1986-ocr.pdf | page = 590 | date = 1986| volume = LXXVIII | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis}}

On 31 July 1989, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon.{{cite book | access-date = 5 January 2020 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-81-1989-ocr.pdf | page = 1079 | date = 1989| volume = LXXXI | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis}} His service in Lebanon, where he reached out to various militia groups and heads of Islamic political parties to help end the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war, has been cited as an example of invisible Vatican diplomacy.{{cite news | first= Edward | last = Pantin |date = 1 March 2010 | url = https://diplomatmagazine.com/vatican-diplomacy/ | work= Diplomat Magazine |access-date = 14 May 2019| title = Vatican Diplomacy}}{{cite news | work = UPI | access-date = 14 May 2019 | url = https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/01/08/New-Vatican-ambassador-to-Lebanon-aims-to-encourage-dialogue/4892631774800/ | date = 8 January 1990 | title = New Vatican ambassador to Lebanon aims to encourage dialogue}}

On 25 May 1993, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula.{{cite book | access-date = 5 January 2020 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-85-1993-ocr.pdf | page = 547 | date = 1993| volume = LXXXV | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis}}

On 31 July 1997 he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain. {{cite book | access-date = 5 January 2020 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-89-1997-ocr.pdf | page = 671 | date = 1997 |volume = LXXXXIX | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis}} In 2001 he visited the Archdiocese of Cardiff to meet with religious and laity following the temporary replacement of the archbishop and the removal of two priests for the sexual abuse of minors.{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1314129/Paedophile-scandal-diocese-gets-Papal-envoy.html | work= The Telegraph | access-date = 14 May 2019 | title= Paedophile scandal diocese gets Papal envoy | first = Sean | last = O'Neill }}

Puente resigned as nuncio in October 2004,{{cite news | work= Zenit | access-date = 13 May 2019 | date =12 December 2004 | title = Papal Nuncio Appointed for Great Britain | url = https://zenit.org/articles/papal-nuncio-appointed-for-great-britain/ }} and on 11 December 2004, John Paul II accepted his resignation.{{cite press release | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2004/12/11/0598/01956.html | language = it | access-date = 13 May 2019 | date = 11 December 2004 | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 11.12.2004 | publisher = Holy See Press Office}}

On 25 August 2019, Puente called for the ordination of women as Catholic priests.{{Cite web|title=Former Vatican ambassador to UK calls for women to be ordained priests|url=https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2019/08/27/former-vatican-ambassador-to-uk-calls-for-women-to-be-ordained-priests/|website=Crux|date=25 August 2019|access-date=3 September 2019|archive-date=28 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828202858/https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2019/08/27/former-vatican-ambassador-to-uk-calls-for-women-to-be-ordained-priests/|url-status=dead}}

Puente was a canon of the cathedral of Santander.{{cite news | access-date = 13 May 2019 | language = es | url = https://religion.elconfidencialdigital.com/opinion/francisco-serrano-oceja/los-nuncios-espanoles/20190311001332027340.html |work= Religión Confidencial| date = 11 March 2019 | title = Los nuncios españoles | first = Francisco | last = Serrano Oceja}}

Puente died on 4 December 2022, at the age of 91.[https://www.eldiariomontanes.es/region/ason/fallece-pablo-puente-20221205104158-nt.html Fallece Pablo Puente Buces, Nuncio Apostólico del Papa y Arzobispo de Macri] {{in lang|es}}

References

External links

[https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpuente.html Pablo Puente at Catholic Hierarchy]

Pablo Puente (prelate)

Biography

See also

References

External links

Further reading