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PDF versionPope names 22 new cardinals, including Dolan and O'Brien
by John L Allen Jr on Jan. 06, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI today announced the names of 22 new cardinals, including 18 under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote for the next pope. The list includes two Americans: Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, and Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the former archbishop of Baltimore.
The consistory, the event in which these nominees will formally enter the College of Cardinals, is set for Rome on Feb. 18-19.
Once again, Benedict’s choices are top-heavy with Italians (seven of the 18 voting cardinals), Vatican officials (ten) and Europeans (twelve). Three also come from North America, including Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto along with Dolan and O’Brien.
Only three of the new cardinals come from outside the West: João Bráz de Aviz, a Brazilian who heads the Vatican office for religious life; John Tong Hon, bishop of Hong Kong; and George Alencherry, archbishop of the Syro-Malabar church in India.
The following is the complete list of new cardinals announced today by the pontiff, during his Angelus address marking the Feast of the Epiphany.
18 new cardinal electors
1. Fernando Filoni (Italian), Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
2. Manuel Monteiro de Castro (Portuguese), Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary
3. Santos Abril y Castelló (Spanish) , Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major
4. Antonio Maria Vegliò (Italian), President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Refugees
5. Giuseppe Bertello (Italian), President of the Government of the Vatican City State
6. Francesco Coccopalmerio (Italian), President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
7. João Bráz de Aviz (Brazilian), Prefect of the Congregation for Religious
8. Edwin O’Brien (American), Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
9. Domenico Calcagno (Italian), President of the Apostolic Patrimony of the Holy See
10. Giuseppe Versaldi (Italian), President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
11. George Alencherry (Indian), Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church in India
12. Thomas Collins (Canadian), Archbishop of Toronto
13. Dominik Duka (Czech), Archbishop of Prague
14. Wim Eijk (Dutch), Archbishop of Utrecht
15. Giuseppe Bettori (Italian), Archbishop of Florence
16. Timothy Dolan (American), Archbishop of New York
17. Rainer Maria Woelki (German), Archbishop of Berlin
18. John Tong Hon (Chinese), Bishop of Hong Kong
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In keeping with papal custom, Benedict XVI also named four new cardinals who are already over 80 years old, and hence ineligible to take part in a future conclave. These are often called "honorary" appointments, used to recognize lifelong service to the church in some capacity.
Four honorary cardinals:
1. Archbishop Lucian Mureşan, Major Archbishop of Făgăraş şi Alba Iulia (Romanian)
2. Monsignor Julien Ries (Belgian)
3. Augustinian Fr. Prosper Grech (Maltese)
4. Jesuit Fr. Karl Becker (German)
Today’s appointments bring the total number of voting-age cardinals to 126, six more than the ceiling of 120 established by Pope Paul VI. That number should drop back down to 120 on July 26, when American Cardinal James Francis Stafford turns 80; five more cardinals will have crossed the threshold of 80 by that stage.
In terms of the Americans, the appointment of Dolan and O’Brien brings the compliment of American electors back up to 11, the same number eligible to participate in the conclave of April 2005 that elected Benedict XVI. That number will drop back down to nine by July, however, as both Stafford and retired Cardinal Edward Egan of New York will have turned 80.
Including those already over 80, the total number of American cardinals after the February consistory will rise to 18. The total number of cardinals in the world, including voting and non-voting cardinals, will be 214.
In terms of notable omissions, neither the new Archbishop of Manila in the Philippines, Luis Antonio Tagle, nor the Archbishop of Westminster in the U.K., Vincent Nichols, were on the list. In both cases, the informal rule that a new cardinal is not created until the retired cardinal of that archdiocese turns 80 may have been in force, as both of the previous incumbents won’t pass the 80 threshold until August.
Strikingly, Benedict XVI named Dolan a cardinal despite the fact that his predecessor, Egan, won’t turn 80 until April 2.
There are at least two other Americans virtually certain to become cardinals at some point, Archbishops Jose Gomez of Los Angeles and Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. In both cases, however, the informal rule cited above suggests they may have to wait a while -- retired Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia is just 76, and retired Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles is 75.
What this seems to say is
What this seems to say is that Benedict does not trust the non-West. Only three outside the west. "Europe is the Church and the Church is Europe" . He goes with the old hands, the Italians.
Dolan, of course, was certain to get it. I imagine we should leave it to the 'watchers' like John Allen to tell us the real story here. But in the real world where we all live (and these people hardly live) we just go on at the Spirit leads us and the Spirit is leading us away from Rome. The spirit of Joachim of Fiore , that great saint of freedom, is alive and well.
Thank you for remembering
Thank you for remembering Joachim of Fiore!My people's deep spirituality it's based on his doctrine. Along the centuries, it has helped us to keep sane and humane. He was the only one to annouce the Age of the Holy Spirit...
CONSTANTINE'S CURSE .......
CONSTANTINE'S CURSE ....... As millions of Catholics despair at the relentless efforts of the post-Vatican II papacy and the Roman curia to negate the overwhelming bishops' decision in 1965 for power sharing, the Roman clique continues to stack the deck even further to thwart Vatican II's call for power sharing. When Ratzinger retires later this year, his successor will be picked by a majority of cardinals hand picked by Ratzinger. The curia and Italian cardinals will certainly have a sufficient voting block to thwart the election of any real reformer, as they have had since John XXIII died in 1963.
This rigged election will likely just contribute to the current demise of the Church whose hierarchy even refuses to put protecting children ahead of protecting the hierarchy's personal power and wealth. This didn't need, and doesn't need, to happen since the Church is now free in this democratic age of the political domination that Constantine first cursed it with over 1,500 years.
Since the Roman clique lacks the virtue to reform itself and lay Catholics seem incapable of resisting this corrupt clique, Catholics only chance to restore the Church to it original consensual structure appears to be to use the rule of law in this democratic age to bring this corrupt and ruthless monarchical clique to account.
Is it any wonder that the Roman clique is so hellbent on destroying SNAP, which has courageously dared to try to bring the Roman clique's misdeeds to the attention of the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court? With more government and judicial officials speaking out increasingly, it is only a matter of time before the Roman clique will have to answer for their misdeeds.
Then, perhaps, Catholics will stop leaving the Church and will instead stand up and demand a say in who leads them and how that leadership acts. No longer will Catholics accept expending on average, in the US for example, over $1 million to defend each and every pedophile priest, while simultaneously closing churchs and schools and failing to develop sufficient domestic priests to administer sacraments regularly.
As the misdeeds of bishops are disclosed daily in the media, Catholics increasingly are realizing why the bishops are willing to bankrupt their dioceses rather than open their secret files to judicial scrutiny.
"Demise of the Church?"
"Demise of the Church?" Jesus' promised that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church He founded. Matthew 16:18. If so, then what chance does *any* human have. Even if the current Pope is totally wrong and corrupt, Jesus Himself will preserve the Church in the end. We can see this played out in the history of Pope Alexander VI (Roderic Llançol i de Borja), who was infamous in the scandals he actively promoted. That's about as corrupt as you can get, far worse than anything His Holiness Benedict has been even *accused* of, and yet the Church survived without any of her core teachings changing.
"Original consensual structure," what is that? Jesus founded his Church on the apostles, with Peter as its head. Matthew, chapter 16 again. While *joining* the Church is always consensual, requiring a free will choice to believe in Jesus, the Church itself is, was, and always will be hierarchical with an absolute monarch at its head, going back to St. Peter. We see this going all the way back to the early Apostles, where the church leaders decided - definitively - matters of bitter dispute in the early Church. C.f. Acts of the Apostles and the letter of St. Paul to the Romans discussing resolution of the issues raised by the Judaizers.
Thank, God, too, as if the Church could be ruled by committee then we would quickly decide matters based on the whims and notions of the current age, core doctrines would change over time, and all notion of Truth would ultimately go out the window. The proof of this is the protestant "reformation", in which the faithful *do* rule by "consent" of the "governed," and the result is tens of thousands of denominations, some professing mutually exclusive "truths" regarding core issues such as the Eucharist.
"Then, perhaps, Catholics will stop leaving the Church," Huh? People leave the Church every day, though as a whole the Church is *growing* precisely because of closer adherence to the Truth proclaimed by the Church. Indeed, many of the so-called "liberal" Church organizations are losing members precisely because they have lost touch with the notion of absolute truth, whereas so-called "traditional" organizations have been growing. C.f. Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, who are overflowing with young, eager postulants.
As for the problem of pedophile priests, you cannot judge a philosophy or an organization by those who fail to live up to the philosophy or the standards of the organization.
I say thank GOD for His Holiness Pope Benedict and for the blessings of his three immediate predecessors.
You referral to "Power
You referral to "Power Sharing" = Gallicanism = Condemned as a heresy in the Vatican I council.
We need a strong voice from the chair of Peter not a muffled one!
God Bless and Protect Pope Benedict XVI!
"When Ratzinger retires later
"When Ratzinger retires later this year"
## That rumour, though well-known, is baseless. There is no more foundation for it than for the idea that the world will end in 2012.
I think the list has nothing
I think the list has nothing really knew. It was whispered a few days ago by many reporters from Rome and all around the globe.
I'm a brazilian catholic who is very unconfortable with the elevation of the new prefect for the religious. I know, I know, it was inevitable but even so I'm not happy.
Besides the archbishop Dolan, the names on the list are not very exciting. The last consistory was more intense with names like Burke and Ranjith. At least archbishop Fisichella is not on the list.
I'm a brazilian and I'm from the west, geographically and culturally. I dont see myself (and the whole catholic church in Brazil) as a Eastern Church. Though the bishops here speak sometimes in a language totally different that we can not understand but is not greek or aramaic (it is just marxism...).
Your are spiting on those who
Your are spiting on those who helped the Brazilian church and society to grow, and aclaiming those who will help it to vanish (how many sects do you have now?).Of couse:you are one of the 1% and still miss the "good" old dictators. What a glorious time! At least,they were fascists.
Not even one African and the
Not even one African and the preponderance of the list ib favor Western Europe clearly speaks to the racial bias of this Church and its historical tendency to play the ostrich and be disingenuous.
this is to john allen. error
this is to john allen. error in the name of no.17 cardinal. he is RAINER MARIA Woelki. could you please find someone to comment on this appointment. it would have to be someone who really knows the german hierarchy inside out. it seems to me that this is the next clear signal how rigid conservatism is being cemented with every new appointment. i am middle of the road, not very involved german catholic and would love to read some reasonably objective, sound comment and context from a knowledgeable perspective outside germany.
i am looking for the type of perspective that peter hebblethwaite used to offer (or even john wilkins of the tablet, uk).
regards, liz frenz, duesseldorf, germany
re: non-West Cardinals... I
re: non-West Cardinals... I wouldn't be so quick to judge the Pope about this. Judge not, let you be judged by the same standard you judge.
I don't understand either how it all works really. But I think its better we seek further understanding than presuming the Pope has a racial bias.
So if anyone can shed light on the low number of non-West cardinals, we'd all appreciate it.
Yeah, real racist. He's got
Yeah, real racist. He's got a Chinese bishop, and Indian Bishop, a Portugese bishop, a Brazilian bishop, and a Czech bishop.
Perhaps its because none of the 33 African cardinals have passed the age of 80, or died.
Get your facts straight before you say something incendiary. Ignorance is not a virtue.
Is there any message in the
Is there any message in the fact that Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel in Belgium,even at almost 72 years old was not on this list?
yes, his predecessor is still
yes, his predecessor is still uner 80.
John Allen as well as others
John Allen as well as others have commented about the explosive growth of the Catholic Church especially in Africa. I'm wondering why there was such a lack of African Cardinals especially given the future growth of the Church there?
Remember brothers and sisters
Remember brothers and sisters we are one.Our church is guided by the Holy Spirit.
I continue to believe in the
I continue to believe in the tooth fairy myself.
The Catholic Church is really
The Catholic Church is really happening in the non-West - India, South America, Africa, but they are harder for the Vatican to understand and control.
Major Archbishops out to be
Major Archbishops out to be Patriarchs (Maybe the Americas could do with a few).
I am quite pleased with Ray
I am quite pleased with Ray Paine's reminder that our Church is One and that it is guided by the Holy Spirit. It's a point always to remember whenever the Pope takes a decision of this kind that we find difficult to understand or to explain. If we could understand and explain every movement of the Church then we could rightly say that man is in charge and not God, whose ways are not our ways and whose thinking is beyond ours. I am an African and after going through the list of 18 new cardinals I did not feel in any way disturbed that there wasn't any black-skinned Bishop included. As I see it the issue at stake whenever the Pope teaches and takes a decision goes beyond that of colour or race; it is more a question of faith, salvation and God's glory.
Cardinals need not be always
Cardinals need not be always the clerics . There is a possibility to have the lay persons to get nominated. To start with, the Pope could have nominated some more Indians (latin rite ) as Cardinals. It is a land of faithfuls and umpteen opportunities to evangelise. The church is a universal body and not a small group of Italians just like the Roman empire. There shoud be more cardinals from Israel, the land from which our Lord emerged
Only when the laity have a say in the election of the pope and the bishops the church would grow. Otherwise it will be at the infant stage for ever. In such a big country like India and China there should be more cardinals. Cardinals must go around the country, to which they belong and redress the grievances of the church and not merely electing the Pope
'I am an African and after
'I am an African and after going through the list of 18 new cardinals I did not feel in any way disturbed that there wasn't any black-skinned Bishop included. As I see it the issue at stake whenever the Pope teaches and takes a decision goes beyond that of colour or race; it is more a question of faith, salvation and God's glory.' - you are part of the racial problem Fr. Linus Patem, for you to turn against yourself and others is really sad, this is why unity amongst blacks is very difficult to achieve (by the way I am not African). People you are blind. Institutional racism will persist because of it. I am not religious, but its interesting that there has never EVER been a non-white pope, not to mention a FEMALE pope! The whole religious concept is absurd, biased, power-hungry and corrupt. I will never ever accept the concept of a white male ideology of a 'god' who demands blind faith (without question), is most unforgiving, condones violence, racism, incest & bloodshed, who is utterly vain & selfish etc.....just read the bible, old and new. What a bunch of ignorant sheep people are who choose to believe in such propaganda and rubbish! Just open your eyes heart & mind, learn to share, face the facts (which you will discover IS the truth), get in touch with your humanity rather than close your minds and sense of reason based on some white male ideology. The most humane people that I have come across in my years of existence on this beautiful earth are those who are not religious.
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