Alfonso de Galarreta

Alfonso de Galarreta, SSPX (born January 14, 1957), is a bishop of the Society of Saint Pius X. He was declared excommunicated latae sententiae by the Roman Catholic Church because of his unauthorized consecration by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988, deemed by the Holy See to be "unlawful" and "a schismatic act".Apostolic letter Ecclesia Dei The excommunication of the four bishops was lifted by the Holy See in January 2009. Remissione della scomunica latae sententiae ai vescovi della Fraternità sacerdotale San Pio X, 24.1.2009
== Early life and ministry ==
Galarreta was born in 1957 at Torrelavega in Spain, but emigrated early in life with his family to Argentina. In 1975 he entered the seminary at La Plata, where he remained for three years. In October 1978 he entered the Society of St. Pius X's International Seminary of St. Pius X at Écône in Switzerland.
In August 1980 he was ordained a priest by archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in Buenos Aires. After ordination he served first as a professor at the SSPX seminary in La Reja, Argentina. From 1985 to 1988 he was superior of the SSPX district of South America.
==SSPX Bishop==
Following his episcopal consecration Galarreta was appointed rector of the seminary of La Reja. In 1991, he assisted in the consecration of Licínio Rangel as bishop for the Priestly society of saint John Mary Vianney after the death of its founder, bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer.
In 1994 he became superior of the Society of saint Pius X district of Spain and Portugal. In 2002 he became second assistant of the Society.
By a decree of 21 January 2009 (protocol number 126/2009), which was issued in response to a renewed request that Bishop Fellay made on behalf of all four bishops whom Lefebvre had consecrated on 30 June 1988, the prefect of the Congregation for bishops, by the power expressly granted to him by pope Benedict XVI, remitted the automatic excommunication that they had thereby incurred, and expressed the wish that this would be followed speedily by full communion of the whole of the Society of saint Pius X with the Church, thus bearing witness, by the proof of visible unity, to true loyalty and true recognition of the pope's magisterium and authority.
The canonical situation of the four bishops thus became the same as that of the other clergy of the Society, who are suspended a divinis.Letter of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei of 29 September 1995
==Dialogue with the Holy See==
It was reported that bishop Galaretta had been named chairman of the SSPX commission in charge of the theological discussions with the Holy See. Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta chairman of the SSPX commission
==References==
==External links==
*Society of Pope St. Pius X
Category:Living people
Category:Traditionalist Catholic bishops
Category:Society of St. Pius X
Category:People excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church
Category:Spain