Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Most ReverendJosep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat |
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Co-Prince of Andorra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 31 May 2025 – present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Joan Enric Vives i Sicília | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Co-Prince | Emmanuel Macron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat (born 19 March 1977) is an important leader in the Catholic Church. He has been serving as the Bishop of Urgell since 2025. He is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. This means he shares the role of head of state for the country of Andorra. Before this, Serrano worked for the Holy See, which is the government of the Catholic Church, from 2012 to 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat was born on March 19, 1977. His hometown is Tivissa, which is in Catalonia, Spain. He is very good at languages. He speaks Catalan, Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Portuguese.
Becoming a Priest
When he was 14, Serrano began studying to become a priest. He first went to a minor seminary in Tortosa. Later, in 1995, he moved to a major seminary. He studied at the Faculty of Theology of Catalonia in Barcelona. In 2001, he earned a degree in Theology.
He became a deacon in 2001. A deacon is a church leader who helps priests. He worked in a parish in Amposta for one year. On April 21, 2002, he became a priest. Bishop Xavier Salinas i Vinyals ordained him in the Tortosa Cathedral.
Further Studies and Work
From 2002 to 2005, Serrano was a priest in three small towns. These towns were la Palma d'Ebre, la Bisbal de Montsant, and Margalef. He then continued his studies in Rome from 2005 to 2007. He studied dogmatic theology and earned a special degree called a licentiate.
After returning to Tortosa, he served as a priest in two more parishes. These were Sant Andreu and Sant Pere. He also taught at the Tortosa Major Seminary from 2007 to 2009. From 2009 to 2012, he studied more in Rome. He earned another licentiate in canon law. He also received a doctorate in dogmatic theology.
Career
Working for the Vatican
From 2012 to 2024, Serrano worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. This means he represented the Vatican in different countries. He was a secretary at the Vatican's offices in Mozambique (2012–2016), Nicaragua (2016–2017), and Brazil (2017–2019).
In 2019, he started working in the Vatican's main government office. By 2024, he was a personal secretary to Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra.
Bishop of Urgell and Co-Prince of Andorra
On July 12, 2024, Pope Francis chose Serrano for a new role. He was appointed as a coadjutor bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell. A coadjutor bishop is someone who will take over as bishop when the current one retires.
This appointment was very important for Andorra. The Bishop of Urgell is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. This means Serrano would become a co-prince when he became bishop. He officially became a bishop on September 21, 2024. Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra led the ceremony.
On May 31, 2025, Serrano officially became the Bishop of Urgell. He also became a Co-Prince of Andorra on that day. This happened after the previous bishop, Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, retired.
On June 26, 2025, Serrano took an oath to follow the Andorran Constitution. He did this in front of the General Council, which is Andorra's parliament. In his speech, he promised to respect Andorra's modern and diverse laws. On the same day, he received his Andorran passport from Prime Minister Xavier Espot.
See also
In Spanish: Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat para niños
