Navarro Valls, Barela: "Moved by the great desire to serve man in the round"

UCBM recalls the Chairman of the Advisory Board

July 5, 2017 - The death of Joaquín Navarro-Valls, which took place on the evening of Wednesday 5 July in his Roman home due to pancreatic cancer, aroused great emotion among the people who work inside of the University Rome Biomedical Campus, of which Navarro-Valls has been President of theadvisory board,  advisory body of the leaders of the Roman university, and President of the steering committee who coordinated the operations of the first Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation of the University Hospital. In the last days of his life, despite not being able to participate in the Survey of the second JCI accreditation, followed everything with great attention and affection, encouraging the staff to have faith in the effort made.

“After completing his professional duties as Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Joaquín Navarro Valls wanted to dedicate his best energies toUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, bringing his wealth of experience and enthusiasm - said the President UCBM, Felice Barela. He passionately presided over the Advisory Board, made up of scholars, scientists, and personalities from the world of culture and business. In recent years you have contributed with conviction to the creation of a foundation, the Biomedical University Foundation, to set up an endowment fund that guarantees over time the possibility of carrying out research in the biomedical, bioethical and bioengineering fields. In his commitment he was moved by the great desire to serve man in the round, in his material, cultural and spiritual needs ”.

“I was lucky enough to be close to him in the birth of the Advisory board and then in the Biomedical University Foundation – he added Paolo Arullani, President of the Foundation. His leadership of the board and his contributions to the Foundation have been decisive for his depth of thinking and his ability to communicate. His determination and pragmatism were always accompanied by a great understanding for people and the desire to contribute to the resolution of personal and collective problems, in particular the needs of people in conditions of greater fragility, which he then translated into the concept of ' benevolenza', which unites believers and non-believers in the promotion of charitable initiatives”.

Navarro-Valls, born in Cartagena in Spain in 1936, was Director of the Vatican Press Office from 1984 to 2006 at the time of two popes, Giovanni Paul II and Benedict XVI. Previously, in the early 70s, he had moved to Rome and collaborated with St. Josemaría Escrivá in the communication activities of Opus Dei.

The funeral chapel will be set up starting from 16pm on Thursday 6 July in the Basilica of Sant'Eugenio, in Viale della Belle Arti 10, in Rome. The funeral is scheduled for Friday 7 July at 11 am and will be officiated by Msgr. Mariano Fazio, vicar general of the Prelature of Opus Dei.