José María Gil Tamayo, new Secretary General of the Bishops' Conference

José María Gil Tamayo is a priest and journalist. He was born on June 5, 1957 in Zalamea de la Serena (Badajoz) and knows firsthand the workings of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, since between 1998-2011 he held the position of director of the Secretariat of the Episcopal Commission for Social Communication Media.

After the resignation of Benedict XVI and the celebration of the conclave, he was summoned by the Vatican to work as spokesman for the Spanish-language media. He holds a degree in Information Sciences from the University of Navarra and since October 2006 has been a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, a position to which he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI.