Madrid, Spain, Apr 30, 2012 / 15:05 pm
At the conclusion of their annual meeting on April 27, the bishops of Spain issued a statement lauding Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming official proclamation of St. John of Avila as a Doctor of the Church.
The “originality” of St. John of Avila is found in his “consistent and ever-current theological knowledge, in the soundness of his teaching and in his vast knowledge of the Fathers, saints and great theologians,” the bishops said.
St. John of Avila will be the fourth Spaniard to be made a doctor, after St. Isidore of Seville, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avilia, and the thirty-fourth person ever to be given the honor. Pope Benedict is expected to officially name him Doctor of the Church in Rome this year although a date for the ceremony has not yet been scheduled.
In their statement, the Spanish bishops noted that St. John of Avila ranks among the Church’s doctors because of his study and contemplation of the mysteries of the faith “with unique clairvoyance” and for his ability to explain them and help the faithful live their lives in accord with Church teaching.