Enrique Pla y Deniel

infobox cardinalbiog
name = Enrique Cardinal Pla y Deniel †


See = Toledo
Title = Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo
Period = October 3, 1941—July 5, 1968
cardinal = February 18, 1946
Predecessor = Isidro Cardinal Gomá y Tomás †
Successor = Vicente Cardinal Enrique y Tarancón †
post = Bishop of Salamanca | date of birth = December 19, 1876
place of birth = Barcelona, Spain
date of death = July 5, 1968
place of death = Toledo, Spain |infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Enrique Cardinal Pla y Deniel
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Toledo |

Enrique Cardinal Pla y Deniel (December 19, 1876—July 5, 1968) was a Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Toledo from 1941 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.

Biography

Enrique Pla y Deniel was born in Barcelona, and studied at the seminary there before attending the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Angelicum in Rome. Ordained to the priesthood on July 25, 1900, he completed his studies in 1903 and then did pastoral work in Barcelona, where he also served as a seminary professor, director of several newspapers, and cathedral canon.

On December 4, 1918, Deniel was appointed Bishop of Ávila by Pope Benedict XV. He received his episcopal consecration on June 8, 1919 from Archbishop Francesco Ragonesi, with Bishops Enrique Reig y Casanova and Francisco Mas y Oliver serving as co-consecrators. Deniel was later translated to Bishop of Salamanca on January 28, 1935.

Pope Pius XII named Deniel Archbishop of Toledo, and thus Primate of the Church in Spain, on October 3, 1941. He was created Cardinal Priest of "S. Pietro in Montorio" by Pope Pius in the consistory of February 18, 1946. Deniel was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 1958 papal conclave, which selected Pope John XXIII. From 1962 to 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council, and sat on its Board of Presidency.

The Spanish cardinal was considered conservative in his views [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869954-5,00.html Toward a Change] June 22, 1962] . Although he was a supporter of General Franco (particularly during the Spanish Civil War [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,934451-4,00.html Embarrassing Fact] March 18, 1946] ), Deniel refused to fire a prominent priest from his post as editor of a Catholic Action newspaper after the latter attacked Spain's press censorship [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806948,00.html Shuffle in Spain] November 22, 1954] ; he did, however, privately suspend the priest. Deniel voted in another conclave, that of 1963, which resulted in the election of Pope Paul VI.

Deniel died in Toledo, at age 91. He is buried in the Cathedral of Toledo.

Trivia

*During the Spanish Civil War, Deniel (then Bishop of Salmanca) offered Franco his episcopal residence as headquarters [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,797770-3,00.html The Roads to Rome] January 7, 1946] . He also presided over the marriage of Franco's daughter María [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,805389-3,00.html All in the Family] April 17, 1950] .
*Pope Paul VI visited the ill Cardinal on the day after his election the papacy [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874967-7,00.html The Path to Follow] June 28, 1963] .

References

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-p.htm#Pla Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bplayd.html Catholic-Hierarchy]