Rosalio José Castillo Lara

Rosalio José Castillo Lara, S.D.B. (4 September 1922 – 16 October 2007) was a Venezuelan prelate of the Catholic Church. He worked in the Roman Curia for almost all of his career, first with responsibility for rewriting the code of canon law and then in administrative positions in the government of the Holy See. He was made a cardinal in 1985.

His Eminence

Rosalio José Castillo Lara

S.D.B.
President Emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
Appointed31 October 1990
Term ended14 October 1997
PredecessorSebastiano Baggio
SuccessorEdmund Casimir Szoka
Other postsCardinal-Priest of Nostra Signora di Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio "pro hac vice" (1996-2007)
Orders
Ordination4 September 1949
by Lucas Guillermo Castillo Hernández
Consecration24 May 1973
by José Humberto Quintero Parra
Created cardinal24 May 1985
by Pope John Paul II
RankCardinal-Deacon (1985-96)
Cardinal-Priest (1996-2007)
Personal details
Birth nameRosalio José Castillo Lara
Born(1922-09-04)4 September 1922
San Casimiro, Aragua State, Venezuela
Died16 October 2007(2007-10-16) (aged 85)
Centro Médico de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
ParentsRosalio Castillo Hernández
Guillermina Lara Peña
Previous post
Alma mater
MottoMisericordia et veritas
Coat of arms

Biography

Castillo Lara was born in San Casimiro, diocese of Maracay, in Venezuela's Aragua State, on 4 September 1922. Third son of seven children, he was ordained a priest on 4 September 1949, by his uncle, Archbishop Castillo Hernandez of Caracas.

In 1950 he went to study canon law at the Salesian Pontifical University in Turin. In September 1954, he was named professor at the faculty of canon law, at first in Turin until 1957, then in Rome until 1965. He was named titular bishop of Precausa and Coadjutor Bishop of Trujillo on 26 March 1973.

He became Secretary of the Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law on 20 February 1975.[1] In 1982 he was named President of the Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law, which produced the 1983 Code of Canon Law.[2] He was promoted to archbishop on 26 May 1982.[3]

He was named Pro-President of the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law on 18 January 1984.[4] Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal during the Consistory of 25 May 1985,[5] and two days later appointed him the first President of the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law, later known as the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

He became President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See on 6 December 1989,[6] a post to which he added on 31 October 1990 that of President of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City. He was also a member of several other bodies, including the Cardinals' Supervisory Commission for the Institute for Religious Works, commonly known as the Vatican Bank.

In 1996, he dismissed concerns about the health of Pope John Paul II, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease. He said: "Certainly the tremor in the hand is terrible, and I think that for the Pope, who was once such an athlete, it is a humiliating and mortifying phenomenon. But it helps to maintain a spirit of humility, and still, he is lucid, with a remarkable memory."[7]

Relations with the Chávez government

Castillo Lara was one of the Venezuelan ecclesiastic figures most opposed to the government of Hugo Chávez. In a 2006 homily, he asked for prayers "with fervour to the Virgin Mary to save Venezuela. We are living a very grave situation, like a few times in our history". Castillo once called Chávez "a paranoid dictator",[8] while Chavez called Castillo "a hypocrite, bandit and devil with a cassock."[9]

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References
  1. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXVII. 1975. p. 160. Retrieved 20 June 2020. Segretario della Pontificia Commissione per la Revisione del Codice di Diritto Canonico
  2. "New Catholic Code Expands Women's Rights". New York Times. UPI. 19 January 1983. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  3. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXXIV. 1982. p. 728. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  4. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXXVI. 1984. p. 342. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  5. "New 'Princes of the Church'". New York Times. UPI. 25 May 1985. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  6. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXXXII. 1990. p. 120. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  7. Bohlen, Christine (12 October 1996). "Pope's Tremor Is All But Confirmed as Parkinson's". New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  8. Romero, Simon (15 August 2007). "Chávez to Propose Removing His Term Limits". Nrew York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  9. "Chavez reforms go to parliament". BBC News. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Agnelo Rossi		 President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
6 December 1989 – 24 June 1995		 Succeeded by
Jose Tomas Sanchez
Preceded by
Sebastiano Baggio		 President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
31 October 1990 – 14 October 1997		 Succeeded by
Edmund Szoka
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