Malaga has a new bishop: José Antonio Satué sets a new course for the diocese
Hundreds of faithful attended the mass in the cathedral in which the Huesca-born priest became the new bishop of a Church that presents numerous challenges
Malaga faces a change of leadership and change of direction for its Catholic Church. This Saturday, José Antonio Satué Huerto, 57, from Huesca, began his work as bishop of the Malaga diocese, the 70th since Saint Patrick. The official eucharist, which began at 11am, was in a packed cathedral; two thousand extra chairs were brought in and seven screens accommodated those who did not want to miss this historic moment. This Saturday's service was similar to the one in December, 2008, when the Valencian Jesús Catalá Ibáñez became bishop.
The archbishop of Granada, José María Gil Tamayo (who initially headed the ceremony) handed over the chair belonging to the Cathedral's main altar, to the new bishop, as well as the wooden crosier he had been using for the last four years as minister of the diocese of Teruel.
This gesture, marked by prolonged applause and the ringing of church bells, marked the beginning of a new era for the diocese, commanded by a bishop who belongs to the most progressive branch of the Church. The new bishop openly admires the late Pope Francis, and worked with the current Pope Leo XIV, previously as cardinal, in the Vatican department that oversees the appointment of bishops.
Last Saturday, the focus was on Satué, a bishop who sees himself as "more Romanesque than Baroque", and who has begun his new role as pastor of the diocese of Malaga surrounded by hundreds of local faithful and those from his home province of Huesca.
His first post as a bishop was in Teruel, after he was consecrated by the Church in 2021 by Cardinal Juan José Omella, one of the most important bishops of Barcelona, and one of the more than twenty-five bishops who co-officiated the mass in Malaga, along with numerous priests. The Spanish Nunciature was represented by the Polish priest Roman Walczak, and José Cobo, the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, also attended.
With Satué, the Church in Malaga enters a new phase in which its bishop, far removed from the conservative sector his predecessor Jesús Catalá belonged to, will instead practise a different way of governing, which is presumably more open and less anchored in orthodoxy.
Proof of this was Saturday's mass which combined traditional religious chants with flamenco, a nod Satué wanted to give to the Roma population, who are under his pastoral care, as part of his role in the Episcopal Conference.
Entrance through the main door of the church
The ceremony in Malaga cathedral began before mass, at 10.40am with the departure of the new bishop from the Episcopal Palace, accompanied by Gil Tamayo, Catalá and a college of consultors - a group of priests who play an important role during the installation of a new bishop.
José Antonio Satué entered the cathedral through the main door, in Plaza del Obispo. He was welcomed by cathedral chapter members, and the dean, José Ferrary, who offered him the cross of Christ as a relic, for his worship, and holy water to sprinkle on those present. He then went to the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, located behind the main altar, to pray, and then to the sacristy to prepare for mass.
After the ceremony, a group of people went up to the main altar to greet Satué, his first contact with fellow parishioners, representing the different branches of the diocese. The dean, the oldest and youngest priest (Francisco Martín and José Ignacio Postigo, respectively), a seminarian (Cristian Carrasco), members of the diocesan pastoral council, a married couple with their children, a priest and a nun approached the new bishop.
Satué, whose motto is 'Like you and with you', now governs one of the largest ecclesiastical territories in the country, with almost two million inhabitants, almost 14 times the population of the diocese of Teruel and Albarracín, as well as including the city of Melilla, whose president, Juan José Imbroda, attended the mass. Also present were the Mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre; the delegate of the Andalusian Government, Patricia Navarro; and the president of the provincial authority, Francisco Salado; among other authorities. The central government did not send a representative.
Among the numerous challenges and unresolved issues that he has to face are: a shortage in those who want to become priests, meaning the Malaga seminary cannot reach the amount of new pastors that a diocese of its population would require; the decrease in the practice of the sacraments (baptisms, communions and weddings); and the current works being done to prevent the deterioration of some churches, such as the roof of the cathedral, in which the budget has been increased to more than 22 million euros.
José Molina Lario, from the diocese of Teruel, also became bishop Malaga, at the end of the 18th century
It was precisely another bishop from Teruel, José Molina Lario, who was in charge of carrying out cathedral renovations in the 18th century. He occupied the see of Malaga from 1776 until his death in 1783, almost two decades in which he was the head promoter of the San Telmo aqueduct - to bring water to the city from the Guadalmedina basin.
Now, 242 years later, another bishop from Teruel begins his ministry in Malaga. On Sunday, Satué conducted a mass in the sanctuary of the Santa María de la Victoria. He commended himself to the saint, to face the new task that the Church has set before him, a mission that he is nervous about, but confident that he will be able to carry out with the help of God and the people he will meet in this new land.
After coming down from the altar, Satué greeted the authorities and his relatives, and walked through Cathedral's naves to greet the faithful gathered for his first mass, a moment that was marked by applause and welcoming gestures to the new leader of the Malaga Church.
