The Pope has appointed Monsignor Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, current dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, as Pontifical Commissioner Plenipotentiary and delegate of the Holy See for the Torreciudad complex, an important Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels, which was inaugurated in 1975 on the initiative of Opus Dei. This news was communicated today by the Vatican Press Office.

The Pope’s decision comes at a time when the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón, located in Aragon, has requested the intervention of the Holy See to resolve the existing differences with the Prelature of Opus Dei about the legal, canonical, and pastoral regularization of the Torreciudad complex. Both institutions have expressed their confidence that the Holy See will be able to reach a satisfactory solution.

Biography of Monsignor Arellano Cedillo

Bishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo was born on June 8, 1962, in Olías del Rey, Spain. He was ordained a priest on October 25, 1987, in Toledo by the Brotherhood of Priests Workers of the Kingdom of Christ. Arellano Cedillo holds a Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Throughout his career, he has held important positions, such as deputy judicial vicar in the Archdiocese of Madrid and judge of the Tribunal of the Rota at the Apostolic Nunciature in Spain. Since 2007, he has served as auditor prelate of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota. On March 3, 2021, he was appointed dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota by Pope Francis.