Fr Gómez Rúa was born on 27 December 1963 in Medellín. After attending the Salesian novitiate in Rionegro, between 1983 and 1984, he made his first vows on 31 January 1984 and perpetual vows on 9 January 1990 at La Ceja.
Ordained a priest in the city of Medellín on 17 October 1992, he was Vicar at the Tuluá center (1993-95), Vicar and then Director of Rionegro (1995-97; 97-98), and Director and Master of Novices at La Ceja from 1999 to 2006.
For the COM Province he was Provincial Vicar (2006-2010) and Delegate for Formation and for the Salesian Family (2007-2011), before taking on the role of Provincial in 2012.
He is currently Director of the interprovincial Post-novitiate "Filippo Rinaldi" of Copacabana.
Fr Gómez Rúa takes on the role as COB Provincial for the six-year period of 2019-2025 this next July 28 during the Eucharist which will be chaired by the Regional Councilor for Inter-America, Fr Timothy Ploch, at the National Shrine of Our Lady del Monte Carmelo - Leone XIII Institute in Bogotà.