Pope Francis: Cardinal Carlos Aguiar will continue to lead the Archdiocese of Mexico

Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Primate Archbishop of Mexico, presented his letter of resignation to Pope Francis, having reached, on January 9, 2025, 75 years, the age at which every bishop is obligated to present his resignation to the Holy Father.

The Pope’s response came through a signed letter by the Apostolic Nuncio in Mexico, Mons. Joseph Spiteri, on January 16.

In the letter, Bishop Spiteri wrote to Cardinal Aguiar: “I have the honor to inform Your Eminence that the Holy Father Francis, in response to the letter that you sent him dated November 27, 2024, wanted to extend the permanence in the pastoral government of the Archdiocese of Mexico with the formula until otherwise provided”.

The Latin term “Until otherwise providedr” means “until otherwise provided,” which implies that Cardinal Aguiar will remain in office indefinitely, until Pope Francis appoints his successor.

It should be noted that the cardinal will continue to be a cardinal elector in a possible conclave until he turns 80.

A similar case occurs with Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Guadalajara, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, who, after reaching retirement age in March 2024, was invited by Pope Francis to remain in office for a period of time. definite.

What will Cardinal Aguiar do after his resignation?

In an interview given to the journalist Valentina Alazraki for the Vix platformCardinal Aguiar shared some of his plans for his eventual retirement. He mentioned that, now as archbishop emeritus, he will move to his parents’ house in Tepic, in the Mexican state of Nayarit, and will dedicate himself to resuming his doctoral thesis on fasting.

“What is fasting, the true fast that God wants? From three prophetic texts, on which Jesus relies, what is the fast he wants, which is existential fasting, but it must be developed in a pastoral way,” he said.

In addition to this academic project, the cardinal pointed out that he also wants to enjoy his free time, visiting the sea and the people he knows and whom he has not been able to see frequently due to his pastoral work.

Who is Cardinal Aguiar Retes?

He was born on January 9, 1950 in the city of Tepic. At the age of 11 he entered the seminary, and was ordained a priest in April 1973, at the age of 23.

Later, he continued his studies in Italy, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 1977. In 1996 he obtained a doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

During his priestly ministry, he was rector of the Tepic Seminary between 1978 and 1991. In 1986 he was elected president of the Organization of Mexican Seminaries (OSMEX).

In June 1997, he was consecrated Bishop of Texcoco by John Paul II.

Within the Mexican Episcopate Conference (CEM), he assumed the general secretariat from 2003 to 2006 and, at the end of that period, he presided over the organization until 2012.

In February 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him Archbishop of Tlalnepantla, in the State of Mexico. On November 19, 2016, Pope Francis created him a cardinal of the Catholic Church. Shortly after, on December 7, 2017, he was named Primate Archbishop of Mexico, a responsibility he assumed on February 5, 2018.

Likewise, he had several international commissions. In the Latin American Episcopate Council (CELAM) he was secretary general from 1999 to 2003. Subsequently, he was named vice president from 2003 to 2007 and, in 2011, he assumed the presidency of CELAM.

On March 8, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI incorporated him as a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See. That same year, in May, he participated in the V General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate, held in Aparecida (Brazil).