Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera is a retired and distinguished conservative Spanish prelate whose physical and theological similarities to Benedict XVI led him to being nicknamed the “Little Ratzinger.”

Born on October 15, 1945, in Utiel, Spain, Canizares was ordained as a priest on June 21, 1970, and holds a doctorate in theology.

Cañizares Llovera began his ecclesiastical career as a parish coadjutor, chaplain, and parish priest. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Catholic Church, serving in various important positions. On March 6, 1992, he was appointed Bishop of Avila, receiving episcopal ordination on April 25 of the same year.

His career continued to advance when he was appointed Archbishop of Granada on December 10, 1996. Later, on October 24, 2002, he became the Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain, a position he held until 2008. On December 9, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Cañizares Llovera was elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in the consistory of March 24, 2006, with the title of San Pancrazio. He participated in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.

On August 28, 2014, Pope Francis appointed him as Archbishop of Valencia, a position he held until his resignation was accepted on October 10, 2022.

Throughout his ecclesiastical life, Cardinal Cañizares Llovera has made significant contributions to the Church. He has been a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1995 and contributed to the compilation of the Spanish-language edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He founded the St. Teresa of Jesus Catholic University in Avila in the 1990s and promoted a diocesan synod of 1995.

Cañizares Llovera has also held several important positions within the Spanish Episcopal Conference, including president of the Episcopal Commission of Seminaries and the Episcopal Commission of Education. He was founder president of the Spanish Association of Catechists.

His expertise in catechesis and theology led him to teach at various institutions, including the University of Salamanca and the Conciliar Seminary of Madrid. He also served as the director of the Institute of Religious Science and Catechesis in Madrid.

In October 2015, Cañizares made headlines by questioning the arrival of refugees to Europe, wondering if “it is all clean wheat” and suggesting that they could be “the Trojan horse in European societies.” The media pushback led to him later asking for forgiveness, although he claimed to have been the victim of a “lynching” for the alleged manipulation of his words.

The cardinal has openly criticized what he calls the “gay empire” and “certain feminist ideologies,” accusing them of attacking the “Christian family.” He has also called for disobeying “unjust” laws based on “gender ideology,” which he considers “the most insidious and destructive of humanity in all of history.”

Cañizares has been a vocal defender of the unity of Spain and the teaching of the Catholic Religion in schools. He has made fearless comments on political issues.

After the publication of Traditionis Custodes, Cardinal Canizares, who was a friend of the Traditional Latin Mass when he was head of the Vatican’s liturgical office, surprised some observers when he provisionally suspended the celebration of the Vetus Ordo in the archdiocese of Valencia.¹Given his conservative profile and his previous position as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, it is possible that Cañizares had personal reservations about Traditionis Custodes, although he publicly abided by papal provisions. Observers say Cañizares also probably found himself in a delicate position, balancing his loyalty to the Pope with his inclinations toward more traditional forms of liturgy.