On Wednesday, 25 June 2014, the journalist Salvador Bernal was invited to the UIC's Sant Cugat campus to give a talk in honour of the centenary of the birth of the Venerable Álvaro del Portillo, who was a Roman Catholic bishop and succeeded St. Josemaría Escrivá as the prelate of Opus Dei. Bernal, who wrote a biography of Portillo, described him as someone who «was always attentive to those around him».
During his talk on Wednesday, 25 June 2014, which marked the 70th anniversary of Portillo’s ordination as a priest, Bernal highlighted three key aspects of the bishop’s life. The first, according to Bernal, was his humanity. “Anyone who came into contact with Álvaro ended up feeling calm and serene”, he said of Portillo, who is soon to be beatified. “He had an extremely high tolerance level and always spoke in a positive, very normal tone”, Bernal said.
The second key aspect was Portillo’s loyalty to Opus Dei. “To be in his company was to feel the care and concern of the Church for the whole world”, Bernal said. “Álvaro was a person who engaged with Church matters very intensely”, he continued. “At any time, he might ask you to pray for the health of the Church in China, the Netherlands or even Spain during times of particular crisis”.
For Bernal, the third key aspect was the bishop’s “concern for social matters”. “He was able to intuit other people’s problems, find solutions and take a weight off their shoulders”, Bernal said, recalling Portillo’s ability to make people forget about their difficulties. He went on to talk about how Portillo liked to teach catechism and spend time with the poor, despite the fact that he came from a well-to-do family.
Coinciding with the centenary of his birth, the Venerable Álvaro del Portillo will be beatified on 27 September in Valdebebas (Madrid).
