Ricardo María Carles Gordó
Ricardo María Carles Gordó (24 September 1926 – 17 December 2013) was a Spanish cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Barcelona in the Catholic Church. Born in Valencia, he studied at local schools and the Pontifical University of Salamanca, where he earned a licentiate in canon law. He was ordained a priest on 29 June 1951 and served in Valencia in various roles, including parish priest, rector of the parish of San Fernando, and as a diocesan counselor for families and youth.
On 3 August 1969 he was appointed Bishop of Tortosa, serving there until 1990. Pope John Paul II created him Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino in 1994. In 1990 he became Archbishop of Barcelona, a position he held until his retirement on 15 June 2004. He also served as Vice-President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference from 1999 to 2002, and he participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. He died on 17 December 2013 at Hospital Santa Cruz in Tortosa, Catalonia, and was buried in Valencia Cathedral. His motto was Ut omnes unum sint.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:28 (CET).