The Archdiocese of Burgos (Spain) announced this Wednesday that the Vatican has appointed its archbishop, Mons. Mario Iceta, Pontifical Commissioner “with all powers” to face the crisis unleashed by the schismatic declaration of the Poor Clares of Belorado on May 13.
At the request of the Federation of Our Lady of Aránzazu, to which the monasteries of Belorado, Orduña and Derio belong, the Holy See has appointed Bishop Iceta “Pontifical Commissioner at the behest of the Holy Seegranting him all the rights and duties that the universal Law of the Church and the Law of the Institute attribute to the Major Superior and his Council, including legal representation in the civil sphere.
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The announcement is made coinciding with the expiration date of the mandate of Sister Isabel de la Trinidad as abbess of the monastery of Santa Clara de Belorado this May 29, the day agreed for the election of a new superior.
The archbishopric also reports that on Tuesday afternoon “a burofax was sent to Sister Isabel informing her of the end of her mandate and the appointment of the Pontifical Commissioner, with immediate effect.”
In addition, it is specified that “the access and stay in the Monasteries and all their properties of Messrs. Pablo de Rojas (the false bishop excommunicated in 2019) and José Ceacero (alleged priest) and any other person linked to them is expressly prohibited. the Pious Union of Saint Paul the Apostle.”
Possible excommunication automatic decision
The statement states that “the sisters deserve the utmost respect and consideration,” and that after a “reasonable time, on a personal basis, each of them will be required to express their willingness to continue or not belong to the Catholic Church.” .
“The express and public renunciation of abandonment of the Catholic Church would place them, by free and personal decision, on the margins of the ecclesial communion. This entails the initiation of the corresponding canonical procedure. The consequence provided for by canon law, if he does not depose his decision, would conclude with the declaration of excommunication. automatic decision, which entails expulsion from consecrated life. We strongly trust that it will not be necessary to reach this extreme,” the text details.
The archbishopric also expresses concern for the older sisters of the community, about whom they state: “we are aware of the careful care they offer” in the physical sphere. However, they express their concern in the spiritual sphere: “We are saddened that they are not receiving spiritual care consistent with the Catholic faith that they have always loved and professed, and it will be a priority issue that will have to be addressed.”
Creation of a management committee
To face the task of the Holy See, the Archbishop of Burgos will have a management commission of which Mons. Iceta will be a member, assisted by the president of the Federation of Our Lady of Aránzazu and its federal secretary. Both “will ensure the care of the community.”
Also part of this work team is the judicial vicar and the director of Legal Affairs of the Archdiocese of Burgos, who will be in charge, respectively, of the canonical and civil matters that arise.
In addition, they will have the collaboration of the episcopal delegate for consecrated life and the chaplains of the monastery.
As detailed by the Archbishopric of Burgos, “the collaboration of a professional office will be requested for the administration of the Monasteries and their assets and will be responsible for carrying out an audit and an inventory. Likewise, if necessary, we will have the help of professional legal services firms, in civil, tax or criminal matters.”
In the statement, it is also recalled that “the Monasteries, their properties and assets are ecclesiastical assets and belong to the community as a legal entity, not to its members as natural persons” and that “if the suppression of the Monasteries, for not being able to comply with what is established in the Instruction on the contemplative life (called A Praying Heart), all their assets would remain within the scope of the Federation of the Poor Clare Sisters of Our Lady of Aránzazu, in accordance with its statutes.
Nicholas de Cardenas
Born in 1980, I am a Spanish husband and father and journalist with more than 20 years of experience in print and digital media, specializing in sociopolitical and religious information. I have worked for more than 10 years in defense of human rights and have accreditations in Journalism and Comprehensive Communication. Since July 2022, I have been a correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in Spain, covering international events of the Catholic Church.