The Spanish newspaper La Razon has published an interview with recently-named archbishop of Valencia, Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, who says he is thankful to God and to the Pope for his transfer to the Spanish archdiocese. Originally from Valencia, Cardinal Canizares is returning to his native land after serving for several years as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. “Although I have been away for a long time, I have felt loved, welcomed and accepted in my diocese, in my beloved land of Valencia and my beloved countrymen have once again shown me this closeness and affection with this appointment,” the cardinal said. With his installation set for Oct. 4, Cardinal Canizares said he does not have any predefined plan or program for the diocese. “God leads the Church, it is his work, and therefore my plan is nothing other than to do the will of God, what he wants…to show and bring his love to others, to make them participants in that merciful love, to dedicate and give of themselves to others without reserve, with special concern for the poor and those who are last, to proclaim that good news of his boundless love for the poor and those most in need of mercy.” “Ultimately, to lead others to know and follow Jesus Christ: that will be my agenda.” Cardinal Canizares said that by his gestures and words, Pope Francis is telling the world of “the need to present the truth about God and man in charity, in mercy, in closeness and solidarity with those who are suffering so much at what we call the existential peripheries, the places of immense poverty and suffering.” He also underscored the importance of the liturgy and called for “a deepening and strengthening of the liturgical renewal sought by Vatican II, which is at the heart of what God wants for these times as an agenda or a path to follow in the Church.” Cardinal Canizares said his six years at the Vatican as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship was “profoundly enriching” and immersed him “in the importance and centrality of the liturgy in the life of the Church, without which neither the new evangelization nor a serious reform of the Church and of humanity is possible.” He also pointed to some of the most urgent problems that need to be addressed in Spain, including the loss of faith, the crisis in education, marriage and the family.
