Published in
Diario de Navarra
César Izquierdo
Associate Dean from School of Theology
Manuel Guerra Gómez was born in Villamartín de Sotoscueva, province of Burgos, on July 27, 1931, and died in Burgos on August 25, 2021.
Manuel Guerra Gómez was a professor at the School of Theology of Northern Spain, in Burgos. But, in addition, with great generosity he dedicated part of his time for many years to travel to Pamplona to give classes in subjects related to the sciences of religions. In 1980 he published in EUNSA the three volumes of his Historia de las religiones, precedent of what would later become his Historia de las religiones in the collection Sapientia Fidei, sponsored by the Spanish Episcopal lecture (BAC, Madrid 1999).
He was ordained a priest in 1955. For ten years he worked as training in the seminar of Burgos and, later, as management (as well as professor and researcher) in the School of Theology of Burgos, of which he was the first secretary, and later president (also of the seat of Vitoria).
Prof. Guerra was doctor in Classical Philology and in Patristics by the University of Salamanca and by the Augustinianum (Rome), respectively. He published several dozen books and a multitude of articles on various topics: Philology Classical, Anthropology, Christian Antiquity, religions, sects, etc., being a well-known author in various academic and cultural fields. Several of his works still appear in the EUNSA catalog.
Those who were students of Manuel Guerra at School of Theology at the University of Navarra remember not only the great wisdom of Manuel, but also his deep priestly sense. He did not limit himself to dealing with the questions of the subject, but he knew how to extract deep Christian considerations in many moments.
Those of us who knew Manuel Guerra appreciated his serene and good-humored look, as well as his character Spanish which led him to defend decisively what he considered just, always moved by his love for each person in his concrete circumstances, and for the Church. His deep spiritual life led him to want to be contemplative in the exercise of his ministry. On several occasions, I heard him tell about meeting with St. Josemaría in 1972, and how he asked him to explain to him what the founder of Opus Dei had affirmed in word and in writing: that it was possible to pray die noctuque. Praying, even in his sleep, was for the priest and professor from Burgos a challenge he would not give up.