Jorge Medina

Jorge Arturo Agustín Medina Estévez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxoɾxe meˈðina]; born 23 December 1926)[1] is a Chilean Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Cardinal Protodeacon until 23 February 2007.[2] He was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1996 to 2002.

His Eminence

Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez
Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Cardinal Medina in 2011
PredecessorJean Jérôme Hamer, OP
Other postsPrefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (1998–2002)
Bishop of Valparaíso, Chile (1993–1996)
Bishop of Rancagua, Chile (1987–1993)
Titular Bishop of Thibilis (1984–1987)
Auxiliary Bishop of Rancagua, Chile (1984–1987)
Orders
Ordination12 June 1954
by Pio Alberto Fariña Fariña
Consecration6 January 1985
by Pope John Paul II
Created cardinal21 February 1998
RankCardinal-Deacon
Personal details
Birth nameJorge Arturo Augustin Medina Estévez
Born (1926-12-23) 23 December 1926
Santiago, Chile
Alma materPontifical Catholic University of Chile
Coat of arms

Early life and ordination

Medina was born in Santiago in 1926, and studied at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (where he received a baccalaureate in the arts and biology) and the Major Seminary of Santiago.[2] He was ordained a priest on 12 June 1954, by Bishop Pio Fariña Fariña, the vicar general and an auxiliary bishop of Santiago.[1]

Church scholar

Earning a doctorate in theology in 1955, Medina taught philosophy and theology at the Major Seminary of Santiago and of the Pontifical Catholic University, respectively until 1965. He also served as a dean of the university, and as a peritus at the Second Vatican Council; for the latter he later received an honoris causa doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in 1996.[2]

Bishop

Pro-Grand Chancellor of the Catholic University from 1974 to 1985, he was named titular bishop of Thibilis and auxiliary bishop of Rancagua on 18 December 1984. Medina was consecrated to the episcopate on 6 January 1985, by Pope John Paul II himself,[2] with Cardinals Eduardo Martínez Somalo and Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy acting as co-consecrators. He was made Bishop of Rancagua on 25 November 1987, and then Bishop of Valparaíso on 16 April 1993.[2] He was appointed Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 21 June 1996.[2]

Cardinal

Medina was created a Cardinal-Deacon in the consistory of 21 February 1998, with the title of San Saba. He was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 23 February 1998, until his retirement on 1 October 2002.[1]

Styles of
Jorge Medina
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeValparaíso (emeritus)

Medina was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave. Following the conclusion of the conclave, as Cardinal Protodeacon (the senior-most cardinal deacon), he announced to the world the election of Pope Benedict XVI. He was the first non-Italian to do so in centuries and the first Latin American. As protodeacon, Medina imposed the pallium on Pope Benedict XVI and was one of the three cardinals who made the public act of obedience to the new pope at the papal inauguration.[3][4]

In retirement he returned to Chile in order to work as a parish priest.[5]

Views

In December 2008, at a Mass marking the second anniversary of the death of Augusto Pinochet, Medina condemned pop musician Madonna, who was appearing in Santiago. He said "The atmosphere in our city is pretty agitated because this woman is visiting and with incredibly shameful behavior provokes a wild and lustful enthusiasm."[6]

Sexual abuse of minors by priests

Regarding the prominent 80-year-old priest Fernando Karadima, whom in January 2011 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, finding him guilty of having sexually abused minors, ordered to retire to a life of prayer and penitence and never to exercise the priesthood in public again,[7][8] and who was then accused under Chilean civil law of sexual abuse of minors,[9][10] Medina doubted that he would be sent to prison, since homosexual activity was not a crime in Chilean civil law and use of the term "sexual abuse" could be questioned: "With all due respect to the laws of my country, a child of 8 or 9 is very different from a 17-year-old ... A 17-year-old youngster knows what he is doing." He also remarked that priests are not immune from the devil's works: "Any informed Christian knows we are prone to weakness because of our human fragility. The devil gets in where he can. Priests are not immune from his snares." He defended the canonical sanctions imposed on Karadima as being the heaviest that could be imposed short of laicization, and as having taken into account Karadima's age and merits.[9][11][12][13]

One of Karadima's accusers called the cardinal's remark about 17-year-olds "an unwarranted attack".[14] Another added that it was an attack not only on those who had denounced Karadima, but on all who were honestly looking for truth and justice for their lives. He regarded Medina's statements as "extremely suspicious, as if he wanted to diminish the outline of these grave actions, reducing the issue to homosexuality in a very silly manner, as if, furthermore, homosexuality and abuse were synonymous". The statements, he said, "were an attempt to free from responsibility someone who took advantage of his position of power over more vulnerable persons".[15]

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References
  1. Cheney, David M. "Jorge Arturo Augustin Cardinal Medina Estévez". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  2. "MEDINA ESTÉVEZ Card. Jorge Arturo". press.vatican.va. Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  3. Pope Benedict XVI Starts His Papacy. AmericanCatholic.org article on Pope Benedict XVI's inauguration. Retrieved 13 April 2013
  4. Ceremony of Papal Inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI [24.04.2005] on YouTube Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  5. "Chilean priest praises Pinochet, condemns Madonna". livejournal.com. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  6. "Lustful Madonna offends God, says clergyman". Reuters. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  7. Barrionuevo, Alexei; Bonnefoy, Pascale (18 February 2011). "Chilean Priest Found Guilty of Abusing Minors". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  8. "Vatican official's visit to Chile unrelated to abuse case of popular priest". EWTN News. 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2002.
  9. "CARDENAL MEDINA Y CASO KARADIMA: "UN JOVEN DE 17 AÑOS SABE LO QUE HACE"". Nación (in Spanish). 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  10. Barrionuevo, Alexei (14 March 2011). "Chile: Priest Sex Abuse Case Re-Opened". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  11. "Cardenal Medina por abusos sexuales en la Iglesia: "Un joven de 17 años sabe lo que hace"". El Mercurio (in Spanish). 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  12. Field, Jeff. Keller, Bill (ed.). "Not All Gay Sex is Abusive". Standard Newswire. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  13. "Priests not immune from the devil, cardinal warns". Catholic News Agency. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  14. Baeza Palavecino, Angélica. "Demandante de Karadima critica dichos de cardenal Medina: "Son una agresión sin fundamentos"". La Tercera (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  15. "Víctima de Karadima critica dichos de Cardenal Medina: "Constituyen una agresión"". La Segunda (in Spanish). 5 April 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Antonio María Javierre Ortas		 Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments
1998–2002		 Succeeded by
Francis Arinze
Preceded by
Luigi Poggi		 Cardinal Protodeacon
24 February 2005 – 23 February 2007		 Succeeded by
Darío Castrillón Hoyos
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