Serrano had been coadjutor bishop since July last year and was therefore the designated successor to diocesan bishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, who had held the office since 2003.
The government of the principality was delighted on Saturday that that institutional continuity would be maintained with Serrano as bishop and co-prince.
On the occasion of Serrano's appointment as coadjutor bishop, Prime Minister Xavier Espot emphasised his long pastoral and diplomatic career. He was "the ideal person to assume the office of head of state and represent our country in the best possible way, as Co-Prince Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília has done in recent years".
Serrano's appointment prevented a national crisis
Serrano's appointment as coadjutor ended a period of uncertainty about the future of Andorra's state system. 2018 Pope Francis presented the Andorran Prime Minister Antoni Martí that the then Bishop of Urgell would resign as co-prince if the principality legalised abortion.
Although Andorra has been a parliamentary monarchy since 1993, laws still require the signature of the co-princes. In 2023, Cardinal Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin visited Andorra to discuss abortion legislation, but not to question the form of government.
Serrano was born in Catalonia in 1977.
After studying in Rome and working in parish pastoral care, he joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 2012 and worked at the nunciatures in Mozambique, Nicaragua and Brazil; from 2019 until his appointment as Coadjutor Bishop of Urgell in 2024, he was Nunciature Councillor in the General Affairs Section of the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Coadjutor bishops are auxiliary bishops with the right of succession, i.e. they become diocesan bishops with all rights immediately upon the resignation of the respective diocesan bishop.
The diocese of Urgell is largely located on Spanish territory, but also includes the entire territory of the neighbouring principality of Andorra. The dwarf state is headed by two co-princes, each of whom is represented by the Bishop of Urgell and the French President of the Republic respectively.
The dual sovereignty dates back to the 13th century, when the Count of Foix and the Bishop of Urgell agreed on joint rule after decades of disputes.
The prerogatives associated with the office of Count of Foix were initially transferred to the French monarchy and later to the President of the Republic.
The Bishop of Urgell is the only Catholic bishop other than the Pope who is also head of state.