Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer Spanish prelate, Jesuit and curial dignitary. Date of Birth: 19.04.1944 Country: Spain

1. Early Life and Education
2. Academic Career and Vatican Appointments
3. Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
4. Theological Views and Consultancies
5. Dialogue with the Society of Saint Pius X

Early Life and Education

Born in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain, Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer earned a law degree from the University of Madrid in 1966. He joined the Society of Jesus on October 17, 1966.

After studying at the Pontifical University Comillas in Madrid and the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany, Ladaria was ordained a priest on July 29, 1973. He obtained his doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1975, with a dissertation on the Holy Spirit in Hilary of Poitiers.

Academic Career and Vatican Appointments

In 1975, Ladaria became a professor of dogmatic theology at the Pontifical University Comillas. In 1984, he assumed the same position at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He served as vice-rector of the Gregorian from 1986 to 1994 and was a member of the International Theological Commission from 1992 to 1997.

In 1995, Ladaria was appointed consultor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In 2004, he became Secretary General of the International Theological Commission. In 2006, he began studying the Holy See's concept of limbo.

Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

On July 9, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Ladaria Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and titular Archbishop of Thibica. He was ordained a bishop on July 26, 2008. As Secretary, Ladaria is the second-ranking official in the congregation, after Cardinal William Joseph Levada.

Theological Views and Consultancies

Ladaria is considered a traditionalist theologian, emphasizing the return to early Church sources, traditions, and symbols. He is a specialist in patrology and Christology.

He has been appointed consultant to the Congregation for Bishops (November 13, 2008) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (January 31, 2009).

Dialogue with the Society of Saint Pius X

Ladaria is a member of the Holy See commission tasked with dialogue with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, which began on October 26, 2009. He serves alongside Father Charles Morerod (Dominican), Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz (Vicar General of Opus Dei), and Father Karl Josef Becker (Jesuit), consultor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.