Joaquín Navarro-Valls facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joaquín Navarro-Valls
Navarro-Valls in 2014
Born	(1936-11-16)November 16, 1936 Cartagena, Spain
Died	July 5, 2017(2017-07-05) (aged 80) Rome, Italy
Alma mater	Deutsche Schule University of Granada University of Barcelona University of Navarra
Occupation	Journalist, physician, academic

Joaquín Navarro-Valls (born November 16, 1936 – died July 5, 2017) was a Spanish journalist, doctor, and professor. He was best known for being the Director of the Holy See Press Office from 1984 to 2006. This important job made him the main spokesperson for the Vatican to the world's news reporters. He was one of the most visible people in the Vatican during the time of Pope John Paul II, besides the Pope himself.

Navarro-Valls left his role on July 11, 2006. Later, in 2007, he became the president of the board of advisers for the Biomedical University of Rome. He held this position until he passed away.

Early Life and Learning

Joaquín Navarro-Valls went to the Deutsche Schule in Cartagena. He then studied medicine at the University of Granada and the University of Barcelona. He also studied journalism at the University of Navarra in Pamplona. He even took extra classes at Harvard University in the United States.

In 1961, he finished his medical studies with high honors. He also took classes to become a doctor in Psychiatry. He even taught at the medical school for a while. In 1968, he earned a degree in journalism. He later got another degree in communication science in 1980.

Navarro-Valls was very good at languages. He could speak Spanish, English, French, German, and Italian. He died in Rome on July 5, 2017, when he was 80 years old.

Working as a Professional

Navarro-Valls worked as a foreign reporter for two publications: Nuestro Tiempo and the Spanish newspaper ABC. His fellow journalists respected him a lot. They chose him to be on the Board of Directors of the Foreign Press Association in Italy in 1979. He later became its President in 1983 and 1984.

From 1996 to 2001, he also led the board of a foundation. This foundation, called “Maruzza Lefebvre d’Ovidio,” helped people with cancer who were very ill.

His Role at the Vatican

Navarro-Valls's work with the Vatican allowed him to join the Vatican's team at important United Nations meetings. These meetings were held in places like Cairo (1994), Copenhagen (1995), Beijing (1995), and Istanbul (1996). He also gave talks at many conferences about medicine and communication. From 1996, he was a visiting professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

He was especially important during the last years of Pope John Paul II's time as Pope (1978–2005). During the last six months of the Pope's life, Navarro-Valls used his skills as a doctor. He helped share information about the Pope's health with the news. He was known for being very honest about the Pope's declining health. People could see how close he was to the Pope as the end of his life came near.

After Pope John Paul II died, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI. Navarro-Valls continued in his role for almost two more years with the new Pope's approval.

Navarro-Valls was a member of Opus Dei, a Catholic group. He joined in 1970 and lived with St Josemaría Escrivá, who started Opus Dei. As a member, he chose not to marry. He explained that this was a life choice, not a formal promise like religious people make.

In 1988, he won the Ischia International Journalism Award. In 2007, the President of Poland gave him a special award called the Commander's Cross with Star Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

Books He Wrote

• La Manipulación publicitaria. Barcelona (1970)
• La familia y el mundo actual. Barcelona (1976)
• La familia y la educación. Caracas (1978)
• Fumata blanca. Ediciones Rialp, Madrid (1978), ISBN: 84-321-1969-5

Important Moments in His Life

• 1936: Joaquín Navarro-Valls was born in Cartagena, Spain, on November 6.
• 1953: He started studying medicine at the University of Granada.
• 1958: He met Josemaría Escrivá and joined Opus Dei.
• 1961: He became a doctor, specializing in internal medicine and psychiatry.
• 1961–1970: He also earned degrees in journalism (1968) and communication sciences (1970).
• 1970: He moved to Rome and continued his studies.
• 1977: He became a correspondent for the newspaper ABC, covering Italy and other regions.
• 1983: He was chosen as president of the Foreign Press Association in Italy.
• 1984: Pope John Paul II asked him to lead the Vatican press office. He was the first non-cleric to hold this position.
• 1994–1996: He was part of the Vatican's team at UN conferences.
• 1996: He started teaching as a visiting professor in Rome.
• 2205: After Pope John Paul II died, Pope Benedict XVI asked him to stay on as press office director. He also received several honorary doctorates from universities.
• 2006: He asked Pope Benedict XVI to let him resign from his role. His request was accepted on July 11, 2007.
• 2007: He became President of the Advisory Board of the Università Campus Bio-Medico in Rome.
• 2009: He was named President of the Telecom Italia Foundation in Rome.

See also

In Spanish: Joaquín Navarro Valls para niños