The news of Professor Sánchez Bella's death spread quickly yesterday through all of us who have had something to do with the University of Navarra, touching our hearts. His name evokes in colleagues, students, employees and many Navarre families vivid and fond memories. He was the basic man, the faithful and enterprising instrument, fully committed to making St. Josemaría Escrivá's ardent desire to have a university in Pamplona a reality. A university of a good academic level and of Christian inspiration, where many students from Navarre, together with others from Spain and the world, could study at programs of study .

Ismael Sánchez Bella (Tordesilos, Guadalajara, 1922) soon moved with his family to Valencia, where he studied law. Interested in the institutions of Indian Law, he attended the Escuela de programs of study Hispanoamericanos de Sevilla and then traveled to Madrid where he completed the doctorate under the direction of Professor García Gallo.

We met as students, in 1940, about 80 years ago. He was very valuable, cheerful, animated, with initiative and drive staff, with the vivacity to set goals and the tenacity to achieve them. Both of us had met St. Josemaría Escrivá shortly before and felt called by God to follow the spirit of Opus Dei.

Sánchez Bella soon decided to dedicate himself to the work of the university academic staff , in which he saw an exciting way to serve society, to contribute to the advancement and transmission of knowledge and to the maturing of the personality of the students. At the end of 1949 he obtained the civil service examination Chair of History of Law from the University of La Laguna and soon after he traveled to the Republic of Argentina, where he went to core topic for the beginnings of the work of Opus Dei. Without economic means, he was able to survive thanks to the fact that he was invited to give conferences in university institutions. He was also asked to teach at the Universidad del Litoral, in Rosario, where he carried out splendid academic and cultural work.

In the spring of 1952, St. Josemaría saw it opportune to begin the University of Navarre in Pamplona, an idea that he had been cherishing in his heart and entrusting to God for a long time. The project was received with deep joy and satisfaction by the Bishop and with great enthusiasm and promises of support from the Provincial Council of Navarre. It was necessary to entrust the direction and implementation of the new University to a prestigious university professor, and Professor Sánchez Bella, of proven ability, freely and generously accepted the challenge and returned to Spain.

In less than three months he had to look for professors for the first course of Law, find appropriate premises, announce the beginning of classes, make concrete the promises of the Diputación to attend to a tight budget and manage with the Ministry the value of the programs of study studied in Pamplona in an environment and public legislation of State monopoly in the higher university teaching . Sánchez Bella's human and supernatural temperament did not make him hesitate in the face of all these difficulties. Someone said at the time that he had been thought of because he was a person of such optimism that he would not realize that what he was supposed to do was humanly impossible.

The faith and prayer of the founder of the University, on which Don Ismael's faith and prayer were based; the generosity of the endeavor; the satisfaction of the Diputación Foral upon seeing that a secular longing of the Old Kingdom was finally being fulfilled; and of course, the rectitude of intention, indefatigable tenacity and excellent personal conditions of the person who directed the realization of project allowed the birth in Pamplona of an institution that would soon become a good and respectable University in cooperation with the rest of the world.

Love and spirit of service to Navarre, his new land

In Pamplona, Sánchez Bella became one hundred percent Navarrese and focused on serving his new land with all his strength. He spent 66 years of his long life here and for some 32, he participated in the highest responsibilities of Governing Body of the University, out of love and spirit of service to Navarra. He was the first President (1952-1960), but continued thereafter as Vice President until 1986. In that long time, and very especially during his first third, an extraordinary development of the University took place in new teachings, research, professors, students and people for the different services. subject And, more importantly, a way of understanding the academic task and the whole of university life was developing in accordance with the spirit that St. Josemaría wanted: an atmosphere of love for truth and freedom; of open and sincere relationships; of appreciation for the dignity of persons and their opinions; of absence of all forms of discrimination; of care for a well done work ; of rejection of violence and contempt; of well-wishing, joy and forgiveness, which prepare one to live together.

Sánchez Bella contributed in a very high way Degree to the faithful realization of the founding purposes of the University of Navarra. He was undoubtedly a great university man, who carried out his singular function of initiating this institution with the high vision of an excellent teacher, of a rigorous researcher and of a good Christian, who seeks only the earthly and eternal good of all.