CARRÓN, Julián

Fr. Julian CarrónFr. Julián Carrón was born in 1950 in Navaconcejo (Cáceres, Spain). While still very young he joined the Conciliar Seminary, Madrid, where he completed high school and theological studies. He was ordained priest in 1975 and the following year graduated in theology, specialising in Holy Scripture, at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid.

He was lecturer at the Madrid Complutense University.

He won a scholarship as Élève Titulaire at the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem, where he worked under M. É. Boismard. He did a year’s research at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and was lecturer at the Theological School of the Conciliar Seminary, Madrid.

He headed the Minor Seminary, and was teacher of religion and in charge of pastoral care at the Colegio Arzobispal de la Immaculada y San Dámaso, Madrid, of which he was director 1987-1994.

He obtained his doctorate in theology at the Theological faculty of Northern Spain, at Burgos in 1984. He was lecturer at the San Dámaso Institute of Theology, Religious and Catechetical Sciences, Madrid, and ordinary professor of New Testament at the San Dámaso Theological Faculty, Madrid, where he taught “Introduction to Sacred Scripture,” “The Pauline Corpus and Acts of Apostles,” and “The Origins of Christianity.” He is member of the editorial committee of the series “Studia Semitica Novi Testamenti.” He was director of the San Justino Institute of Classical and Oriental Philology, Madrid. He has held many conferences on the historicity of the Gospels in Madrid, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Rome, Florence and Rimini, and given lectures at New York University, the John Paul II Institute at the Catholic University in Washington and the University of San Francisco on the theme “In search of certainty of the historical value of the Gospels” (February 1996). Apart from numerous articles in various reviews, he has published, El Mesías manifestado. Tradición literaria y trasfondo judío de Hch 3, 19-26 (Studia Semitica Novi Testamenti 2, Madrid 1993). He was director of the Spanish edition of the international review Communio, of the review Estudios Bíblicos, and Library of the San Dámaso Theological Faculty, Madrid, and of the San Dámaso Institute of Religious Sciences, linked to the Faculty.

In September 2004 he moved to Milan, called by Fr. Luigi Giussani, founder of the ecclesial Movement Communion and Liberation, to share his responsibility in leading the whole movement. On March 19, 2005 the Central Diaconia of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation named him President of the Fraternity, as successor of Fr. Giussani who had died on February 22nd. On May 13, 2005, the Pontifical Council for the Laity appointed him Ecclesiastical Assistant to the Association Memores Domini. Since the academic year 2004-2005 he has been lecturer in Introduction to Theology as the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan. He participated as pontifical nominee in the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist (October 2-23, 2005). On June 3, 2006, in St. Peter’s Square, he spoke at Pope Benedict XVI’s meeting with the movements.

On March 24 2007 he led the international pilgrimage of CL to St. Peter’s Square for the audience with the Holy Father on the occasion of the XXV anniversary of the pontifical recognition of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation.

He is the director of the series “I libri dello spirito cristiano” (Books of the Christian spirit) for the Italian publisher Rizzoli, and of the “Spirto Gentil” CD music series, both founded by Fr. Giussani.

Fr. Carrón participated in the Synod by special appointment of the Holy Father.