Bishop of Palencia
Msgr. Mikel Garciandía Goñi was born on 21 March 1964 in Etxarri Aranatz, province of Navarra and archdiocese of Pamplona y Tudela. After his formation in pedagogy, he carried out his ecclesiastical studies in the seminary of Pamplona and was ordained a priest on 25 June 1995. He obtained a licentiate and doctorate in fundamental theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has held the following offices: formator in the San Miguel Arcángel Major Seminary; professor of theology in the Centro Superior de Estudios Teológicos del Seminario and of the Instituto de Ciencias Religiosas; head of vocational pastoral care; episcopal vicar for vocations for the zone of Mendialde and for pastoral care in the Basque language (since 2015); collaborator in the Episcopal Commission for seminaries and universities of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. Since 2020 he has served as director of the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences.