Juan José Aguirre
Juan José Aguirre Muñoz (born 5 June 1954)[1] is a Spanish Catholic priest. A member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, he has served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bangassou in the Central African Republic since 21 December 2000.
Biography
[edit]Aguirre grew up in a family of nine siblings, including younger brother Jesús Aguirre, a former Senator and President of the Parliament of Andalusia.[2] On 21 April 1970, he returned home and opened his Bible on Mark 10, which inspired him to be a missionary. Having nearly signed up for the first medical courses at the University of Córdoba, he instead joined the Comboni Missionaries and studied theology, philosophy and anthropology for nine years before being ordained a priest on 13 September 1980.[3]
In 2014, Aguirre released the book Solo soy la voz de mi pueblo ("I Am Only the Voice of My People"), chronicling his 30 years as a missionary in Africa.[4] In November 2015, he met with Pope Francis on the pontiff's visit during the Central African Republic Civil War.[5]
In 2017, Aguirre said that his diocese was sheltering 2,000 Muslim refugees who were fleeing anti-balaka militias in the civil war.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Juan José Aguirre: "Hay unas 30 guerras graves actualmente en el mundo, siempre horribles como la de Ucrania"" [Juan José Aguirre: "There are some 30 serious wars currently in the world, always as horrible as the Ukrainian one"] (in Spanish). Religión Digital. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Contreras, Irene (21 January 2019). "El cordobés Jesús Aguirre, nuevo consejero de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía" [Córdoba-born Jesús Aguirre, new minister of health in the Government of Andalusia]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Juan José Aguirre Muñoz OBISPO EN CENTROAFRICA: "Córdoba palía el sufrimiento de muchas personas de Bangassou"" [Juan José Aguirre Muñoz BISHOP IN CENTRAL AFRICA: "Córdoba alleviates the suffering of many people of Bangassou"]. Córdoba (in Spanish). 11 September 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Juan José Aguirre relata sus 30 años de vida misionera en África" [Juan José Aguirre tells about his 30 years of missionary life in Africa]. El Día de Córdoba (in Spanish). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Pope Francis wanted to visit Central African Republic church after it was attacked". Catholic Herald. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "El obispo Juan José Aguirre Muñoz da su testimonio a la Agencia Fides sobre los dos mil musulmanes refugiados en la diócesis de Bangassou" [Bishop Juan José Aguirre Muñoz gives his testimony to the Fides Agency on the two thousands Muslim refugees in the diocese of Bangassou] (in Spanish). Cadena COPE. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
External links
[edit]- Juan José Aguirre at Catholic Hierarchy