The Chapter of the Cathedral of Mallorca has today elected Mn. Antoni Vera Díaz as the new Dean-President. The election took place following the resignation of Mn. Teodor Suau, who held the position for two consecutive terms since 2017. The Chapter, the highest spiritual and administrative governing body of the Seu, convened this morning in an extraordinary session.
The new Dean of the College of Canons of the Cathedral of Mallorca was elected by secret ballot by all its members. Subsequently, the Bishop of Mallorca, Msgr. Sebastià Taltavull, approved the election and will shortly sign the corresponding appointment.
The new Dean assumes the role from the moment he accepts the Chapter’s election and is confirmed by the Bishop, as occurred this morning.
Mn. Antoni Vera was born in Palma on August 25, 1957. He was ordained a priest in the parish of Sant Francesc de Paula, in the Camp Redó neighborhood, on June 21, 1989, where he served for three years. He was stationed for seven years in Peru as a missionary, before returning to Mallorca, specifically to the parish of Corpus Christi in Son Gotleu, Palma, where he remained for ten years.
Subsequently, Mn. Antoni Vera served for seven years as delegate and director of Diocesan Caritas and for six years as Vicar General of the Diocese of Mallorca. He was currently the rector of San Sebastián and Beat Ramon Llull in Palma, positions he will leave to take on the presidency of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Mallorca.
Mn. Antoni Vera has been elected for a four-year term, as established by the Statutes of the Chapter of the Seu Cathedral of Mallorca. During the extraordinary session held today, Mn. Mateu Tous was also elected as Vice-Dean for four years. The Chapter will continue to be composed of the same canons, nineteen in total, as before, ten of whom are active and have the right to vote, and nine emeritus, who have the right to speak at chapter meetings but not to vote.
The election of the new Dean of the Cathedral of Mallorca occurred after Mn. Teodor Suau submitted his resignation as President to the College of Canons. The Bishop of Mallorca accepted the resignation. Mn. Teodor Suau, who remains a member of the Chapter, has held the position of Dean since 2017. This was his second term, which was due to end in 2025.
Mn. Teodor Suau explained his decision to step down early due to age (the Statutes set the retirement age at 75, which he reached in 2022), health reasons, and having achieved the main objectives he set out in his role as the highest authority of the governing body of the Seu of Mallorca.
Mn. Teodor Suau was born on June 6, 1947, in Palma and was ordained a priest on June 13, 1971. A biblicist by training, Mn. Suau took possession of his canonship on December 23, 2002, and within the Chapter has served as Vice-President and Prefect of Liturgy, as well as director of the Priest’s Residence of Sant Pere and Sant Bernat.
Since taking office, Mn. Suau has led the Chapter in professionalizing the management of the Cathedral to adapt its functioning to new realities. Among the projects undertaken since 2017 are the Preventive Conservation Plan of the Seu and the Cathedral’s Master Plan. There has also been a transformation of the diocesan museum into a Museum of Sacred Art.
The most significant functions of the Dean-President of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Mallorca, according to its Statutes, are the exercise of directive and executive authority in all the tasks of the College, representing the Chapter before Institutions, and overseeing the ordinary management of the See.
