Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra is an orthodox-leaning retired Archbishop of Madrid who has specialized in Catholic education and is well known for his pastoral sensitivity.

Born on May 16, 1945, in Castañeda, northern Spain, Osoro Sierra has had a long and distinguished career in the Church. He initially trained as a teacher and taught for a year in Santander before entering the seminary.

He pursued his religious education at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, earning licentiates in theology and philosophy. He further expanded his academic credentials with a licentiate in Exact Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid and another in pedagogy from the University of Salamanca.

Ordained as a priest on July 29, 1973, Osoro Sierra’s ascent in the Church hierarchy began when Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Orense in February 1997. His career continued to flourish with appointments as Archbishop of Oviedo in 2002 and Archbishop of Valencia in 2009.

In August 2014, Pope Francis appointed Osoro Sierra as the Archbishop of Madrid, a position he held until June 12, 2023. Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal in November 2016.

Known for his ability to combine orthodox views with pastoral sensitivity, Cardinal Osoro Sierra was nicknamed “Don Carlos the pilgrim” by Pope Francis due to his frequent walks around his archdiocese to mingle with the people. He prioritized religious vocations and evangelization, launching initiatives to reach out to those disconnected from the Church.

However, partly due to Spain becoming increasingly secular, the total number of priests continued to fall during Osoro Sierra’s tenure in Madrid, from 3,151 in 2013 to 2,549 in 2021. Male religious numbers dropped from 2,553 to 2,021, and female religious fell sharply from 7,060 to 5,185 over the same period.

Osoro Sierra has held several significant positions within the Spanish Episcopal Conference, including president of the Commission for the Clergy from 1999 to 2005 and vice-president of the conference since March 2014. He was also appointed to various Vatican congregations, including the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra has a profound and transformative vision of the Eucharist and the liturgy, highlighting their central importance in Christian life and their impact on society. He sees the Eucharist is not simply a ritual, but a powerful force for transforming the world. This vision highlights the potential of the Eucharist to generate significant changes in both individuals and society at large. For the cardinal, the Eucharist is not a secondary aspect of faith, but a central element that must profoundly influence how we live our lives.

Cardinal Osoro has expressed a firm stance against abortion which he has said represents a failure and he has urged more support for mothers. He has also said that the sacredness and inviolability of human life is not a matter of opinion. Man, he said, “is God’s possession” and “his life is directly protected by Him.” Respect for all life, therefore, “is an indispensable condition for a dignified social life.”

In a 2022 letter to his flock, he recalled Jesus’ words: “You will be judged as you judge, and the same measure you use will be used against you” (Mt 7:2).” He said: “This is the measure of your humanity: how you care for others, whoever they may be, whatever their age, whether they are at the beginning of life or at the end of it. Being a Christian means living and having that loving gaze of God on man, which is the guarantor of his dignity. Always proclaim the dignity of man and respect his life. Live with these words from the Letter to Diognetus: “Christians are in the world what the soul is in the body.”

While Cardinal Osoro Sierra has generally maintained a low profile in terms of controversies, in 2016 news reports suggested he had prohibited Cardinal Gerhard Müller, then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, from discussing his book at a Madrid college because Osoro deemed it to be “a book against the Pope.” However, this was later clarified when Osoro welcomed Müller to a discussion of the book at a Catholic university in Madrid.

Between 2020 and 2022, the cardinal became embroiled in a conflict regarding a Murcian priest who had questioned decisions related to the management of the foundations in the archdiocese. The case generated considerable tension at the core of the administration of the Archbishopric of Madrid and led to a re-evaluation of the management of ecclesiastical foundations in the diocese. There was no clear evidence that Cardinal Osoro was directly at fault in the “Foundations Case” dispute. As archbishop, he was ultimately responsible, but it appeared that he had been deliberately kept in the dark about aspects of the case.

During the Catalonian independence crisis, Cardinal Osoro Sierra advocated unity and reconciliation. He stated on Twitter that Jesus encouraged “understanding and reconciliation, not the building of walls,” aligning with the Spanish bishops’ general stance urging unity while respecting the diverse opinions within the Catholic community.