Tegucigalpa (Honduras), 1942

By Ramón Romero

Long before the death of John Paul II, the papal succession was a concern within the higher ranks of the Catholic Church. Opinions from experts on the matter circulated around the world, and they coincided in including Honduran Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga on the list of favorites for the succession. There were many arguments in favor of Cardinal Rodríguez, among them: the Church was becoming more open to poor countries, in which, especially in Latin America, Cardinal Rodríguez exercised leadership; in his position as a cardinal, Rodríguez fully embraced the preferential option for the poor, albeit perhaps without the radicalism of the more fervent supporters of Liberation Theology; Latin America is home to the majority of the world’s Catholics; Rodríguez is one of the youngest members of a group of cardinals eager for renewal. After the pope’s death, the international press further highlighted his figure as a possible successor. The election of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – Pope Benedict XVI – represented the victory of a different, more conservative project, but did not diminish the prestige of the Honduran cardinal.

Rodríguez is a Salesian, born in Tegucigalpa on December 29, 1942, into a middle-class family. He inherited the family’s musical talents: he plays the saxophone, guitar, piano, and other instruments. Aviation, reading, and languages have also been areas of interest for him: he speaks English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Latin, and Greek. Additionally, he is a high school teacher in physics, mathematics, natural sciences, and chemistry; he holds a degree in philosophy, a doctorate in theology from the Lateran University in Rome, and a diploma in clinical psychology and psychotherapy from the Leopold Franz University in Innsbruck, Austria. He also studied piano at the Conservatory of San Salvador in El Salvador; he studied harmony and music composition in Guatemala and in Newton, New Jersey, in the United States.

Career in the Church

Rodríguez was ordained in Guatemala in 1970, and for several years, he exercised the priesthood and teaching activities, eventually becoming rector of the Salesian Institute of Philosophy in Guatemala between 1975 and 1978.

In 1978, he was consecrated titular bishop of Santa Pudenziana and auxiliary bishop of Tegucigalpa. Between 1987 and 1991, he served as Secretary-General of the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM), based in Bogotá, overseeing 160 programs in various areas: catechesis, education, liturgy, missions, vocations, ministries of consecrated life, pastoral care, family, youth, and culture. In 1995, he was elected president of CELAM, serving in that role until 1999. In 1997, he was appointed archbishop and president of the Episcopal Conference of Honduras. Four years later, he became the third cardinal from Central America. He is a member of various pontifical commissions: the Congregation for the Clergy, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Social Communications, and the Commission for Latin America of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

Cardinal Rodríguez intensely lives out his Salesian vocation: “I try to be faithful to the thought of Don Bosco, especially the one that assures us that ‘doing well what needs to be done sanctifies.’”

Young People

Young people are one of his central concerns:

“Without forgetting the others, young people are the future of any country. Therefore, I will always support them in their desires for improvement. Young people play a fundamental role in development because Latin America is a predominantly young continent. It is necessary to give young people values to fight for. But not just words; values that fit into life, society, the political community, and the economic community. However, one must never forget that to address ethical issues, we must first solve social problems. Promoting youth volunteerism is an urgent task. It is so educational for a young person to bring food to someone in need; the simple act of giving food to a poor person, and giving it with love, is worth more than any lesson. I believe that the best way to teach young people is by example; if you are a friend to someone, you are teaching them to be a friend, and I believe that is what we lack: contact through testimony, through the act of sharing.”

Political Reflections

Politics, as well as development and ethics, is also a topic of constant reflection:

“Politics exists to achieve the common good. Power is a tool at the service of that good, and when the common good is defined, the six basic challenges immediately arise: health for all, food for all, clothing for all, housing for all, education for all, and employment for all. These six realizations are what we would call the ‘elementary school’ of politics. Then come, without a doubt, other very important issues such as freedom and participation, which must be learned from the beginning of personal history and which will improve as each individual frees themselves from the burden of providing for their survival. That is why freedom cannot be justified apart from social justice. Nowadays, alongside politics and development, we must care about ethics because on one hand we have development and on the other, we have poverty. A new perspective can make development turn into relief for poverty. If we adopt an ethical perspective of development, it is no longer merely economic development, but rather human development. This perspective recognizes that all people have value, regardless of their economic possibilities. It seeks a society that is no longer individualistic, but rather a society that is solidary. Solidarity implies that if we unite the efforts of the poor and the efforts of the powerful, the situation begins to improve. But not just the efforts of one part. Both the rich and the poor must contribute; the poor are also protagonists in their way out of poverty towards a culture of solidarity. The poor can be affected by individualism, by ‘every man for himself,’ or by the failure to consider others. Therefore, what we seek is a perspective that sees us as one humanity, precisely seeking a horizon of hope through the ethical values of development.”

Rodríguez also believes that

“the external debt is suffocating our poor countries; it is necessary for Latin America to breathe a little, to be able to aspire to grow economically, and with such a heavy burden, it cannot.”

In keeping with the times, Cardinal Rodríguez advocates for ecumenism:

“I am in favor of fostering rapprochement, especially with traditional churches, historic churches, and Protestant churches. It is more difficult with sects, as they view ecumenism as something diabolical. But we have taken some steps toward rapprochement, and I want the promotion of ecumenical engagement with other churches throughout Latin America.”