The Pope has appointed Jos Mazuelos, until now bishop of Jerez de la Frontera, as the new bishop of the Diocese of the Canary Islands --which represents the province of Las Palmas--, after accepting the resignation of Francisco Cases, after turning 75 years old, as reported this Monday, July 6, by the Holy See. Both will continue as apostolic administrators in their current dioceses.
Mazuelos was born in Osuna (Seville) on October 9, 1960. Before starting his ecclesiastical studies, he graduated in Medicine (1983) and practiced as a doctor in his hometown and, during military service, at the San Carlos Military Hospital in San Fernando (C iz). In 1985 he entered the seminary of Seville and was ordained a priest on March 17, 1990. He holds a degree (1995) and a doctorate (1998) in Moral Theology from the Alphonsian Academy -Pontifical Lateran University-, in Rome, according to the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE).
During his stay in Rome, he also completed the Bioethics Improvement course at the Gemelli Faculty of Medicine and collaborated in the parish of Santa Francesca Cabrini in the Italian capital.
His first priestly assignment was as parish priest in the rural parish of San Isidro Labrador, of El Priorato de Lora del R , from 1990 to 1993. Afterwards, he moved to Rome to further his studies and upon his return to Seville, in 1998, he was appointed parish priest of Nuestra Se ora de las Nieves de Benacaz and deputy director of the religious assistance service of the University of Seville, of which he was director from 2000 to 2009.
During these years he was also diocesan delegate for University Pastoral Care. In 2002 he was appointed Canon Penitentiary of the cathedral.
In the field of teaching, during the 2003-2004 academic year, he was professor of the Master of Bioethics at the University of the Canary Islands and professor of Morality in the systematic training plan for religion teachers in Seville. From 2003 to 2005 he taught Moral Theology at the Center for Theological Studies of Seville and taught this subject at the San Juan de ila Theological Institute and at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of the diocese of Jerez de la Frontera; he was also a Visiting Professor of the Degree in Moral Theology at the Faculty of San D maso in Madrid and Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Theology Redemptoris Mater del Callao (Peru).
On March 19, 2009, he was appointed bishop of Jerez de la Frontera by Pope Benedict XVI and on June 6, 2009, he was consecrated bishop in the cathedral of the diocese. In the Spanish Episcopal Conference he has been president of the Episcopal Sub-Commission for Family and Defense of Life since 2020.
Replaces Francisco Cases
For his part, Cases was born in Orihuela (Alicante) on October 23, 1944. He was ordained a priest on April 14, 1968. He holds a degree in Theology (1977) from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, and also completed doctoral courses in Theology.
He developed his priestly ministry in the diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, where, among other positions, he was secretary to the bishop (1967-1975); coadjutor of Nuestra Se ora del Rosario in Alicante (1982-1987); secretary of studies of the major and minor seminary (1984-1987); diocesan delegate of Youth Ministry (1985-1990); parish priest of the Inmaculada Concepci in Alicante (1987-1990); episcopal vicar of the Alicante city area and rector of the major seminary (1990-1994). He was also professor of Ecclesiology at the Theological Study (1982-1994)
On February 22, 1994, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Orihuela-Alicante and received episcopal ordination on April 10 of the same year. On June 26, 1996, his appointment as bishop of Albacete was made public, a see he took possession of on August 31 of the same year. On November 26, 2005, he was appointed bishop of the Canary Islands. In the Spanish Episcopal Conference he has been a member of the Episcopal Commission for the Clergy and Seminaries since March 2020.
