Manuel Guillén Pascual, new rector of the Bidasoa International Seminary

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, South Korean Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-Sik, has appointed Father Manuel Guillén Pascual (Jaén, 1975) as the new rector of the Bidasoa International Seminary, replacing Javier Ruza González.

         Bidasoa is an international seminary established by the Holy See in Navarre in 1988. The formation and spiritual direction of the seminary are the responsibility of the Prelature of Opus Dei. Over the years, more than 1,200 seminarians from 275 dioceses and 49 countries have studied at Bidasoa. Currently, there are 96 students from 48 dioceses and 23 countries.

         Manuel Guillén, the new rector, studied Pharmacy in Granada and moved to Rome, where he was ordained a priest in 2012. He holds a doctorate in Moral Theology, a subject he teaches at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra. In 2011, he published his doctoral thesis in a book. Ethics of biomedical research: transplants, vaccines and embryos.

         Arriving in Navarre in 2012, after serving as chaplain in schools and youth training centers, for the last 10 years he has worked at the headquarters of the Opus Dei Delegation in Pamplona – a constituency that includes Navarre, La Rioja, the Basque Country and Soria – with special dedication to the ongoing formation of the clergy and the care of seminarians and candidates for the priesthood.

         Manuel Guillén says he faces this stage with enthusiasm and with his sights set on Saint Josemaría Escrivá, founder of the University of Navarra and Opus Dei: “It is a wonderful opportunity to learn from the seminarians and accompany them on their journey. My greatest desire is to do everything in my power to help the seminarians form themselves into those '100% priests' that Saint Josemaría so often asked for: men of faith, with a big heart, approachable, and eager to serve everyone.‘.

         Javier Ruza, a priest from Madrid who has been rector of the seminary for the last five years, will move to his hometown, where he will carry out his priestly work in different training centers of the Prelature.