Monsignor Jaume Pujol, the Archbishop of Tarragona, was the speaker at a seminar organized by the UIC's Chaplaincy Service on Tuesday, 10 June 2014. During the seminar, the Archbishop recalled his experiences living alongside Álvaro del Portillo, who was the first to succeed St. Josemaría as the spiritual leader of Opus Dei.
The seminar “Álvaro del Portillo: A Point of Reference for Our Time” was held as part of a series of activities organized by the UIC to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Monsignor Álvaro (the Opus Dei Prelate from 1982-1994) and his forthcoming beatification on Saturday, 27 September 2014, in Madrid.
The Archbishop told attendees that he met the saint-to-be in the 1960s when he went to live in Rome, where the two shared living quarters for eleven years.
The speaker used his own recollections and anecdotes from the life of Álvaro del Portillo to create a picture of the former Opus Dei Prelate as a person. From a more spiritual perspective, the Archbishop highlighted the sense of vocation that filled Monsignor Álvaro’s everyday activities; his sense of freedom: “I heard him speak of freedom so many times”; his sense of knowing himself to be a child of God; and the strength and fidelity of his faith. The Archbishop said, "Prayer was Álvaro’s greatest strength; it gave him great serenity, which in turn transmitted great peace to the people he came into contact with”. He continued, “He was a great friend to his friends: from the Pope — John Paul II thought a great deal of him — down to the lowliest janitor. He was well-loved".
Monsignor Pujol told attendees that, as Opus Dei Prelate and the Chancellor of the University of Navarra, Álvaro del Portillo was the driving force behind the creation of the university’s Faculty of Theology. He said, “The Faculty has enabled priests and seminarians to be educated, and has created an international seminary that has educated thousands of people from all over the world”.
Archbishop Pujol was a lecturer at the University of Navarra for over thirty years and therefore had firsthand experience of Álvaro del Portillo's work. During the question-and-answer session, the Archbishop referred to the Opus Dei Prelate’s firm belief in the university spirit. He said, “He was aware that being a professional called for a great deal of study and that issues must be examined in depth in order to be able to talk correctly about faith and cultivate friendships”.
