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Pope Francis appoints 13 new cardinals and then meets Benedict.
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Pope Francis (left) sits after the consortium in a meeting of the newly appointed cardinals with retired Pope Benedict XVI. together
Source: dpa
These men will choose their successor: Pope Francis has appointed more than a dozen new cardinals. Among them is the first black American, an outspoken opponent of Trump. Then there was a surprisingly close encounter.
PApe Francis continues to rebuild the influential College of Cardinals in accordance with his ideas. The head of the Catholics appointed 13 new cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, including clerics from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Six of the newly appointed cardinals are from Italy.
Francisco called on the new dignitaries to resist corruption and continue “close to the people.” He also appealed to men not to stray from the right path. “Let’s think about the many types of corruption that exist in priestly life,” he said. Then he is no longer a priest close to the people.
The ceremony was carried out on a reduced basis due to the corona pandemic. Two new cardinals from Asia were only able to participate via video switching.
Meeting with the Pope Emeritus
Surprisingly, some of the newly appointed cardinals met up with Pope Emeritus Benedict at his residence in the former Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican Gardens. There have been numerous speculations recently about the 93-year-old man’s allegedly fragile state of health.
However, the current photos show Francis and Benedict in a good mood and quite a joke. The rules of the Crown were generously interpreted at the meeting of the two highest dignitaries of the Catholic Church: a photo shows how Francis kisses the hand of Benedict XVI seated.
Farewell with a kiss on the hand: Pope Francis pays tribute to the Pope emeritus
Source: dpa
Unlike the other large-scale ceremonies, this time there were only about 200 participants and cardinals in St. Usually all the cardinals come to greet the new dignitaries in their ranks, this was omitted. Nor were the traditional receptions, in which the new cardinals receive congratulations from numerous guests, were held.
Instead, the believers sat at a distance from each other and wearing a face mask on individual chairs to protect themselves against the corona virus. Some were turned on via video on a screen. The traditional hug of the cardinals was also canceled. On Sunday, Francis then celebrates a mass with the new purple bearers, in which no other believers are allowed to participate.
It is Francis ‘seventh cardinal appointment since 2014. One of the cardinals’ main tasks is to elect a new pope in the conclave. Generally, the poll is also a means for the Pope to influence the course of the Church and influence its succession. At 73, the Argentine has appointed more than half of the electoral cardinals himself. According to media reports, many of the newcomers are committed to helping the poor, a central theme of Francis’ church politics.
This year’s cardinal appointment also included some innovations. With Cornelius Sim and the Archbishop of Kigali, Antoine Kambanda, Brunei and Rwanda from East Africa now have representatives among the cardinals. In addition, with the nomination of the Archbishop of Washington, Wilton D. Gregory, as cardinal, a black American was accepted into the quorum for the first time.
Wilton Gregory, the man who rebuked Trump
The Chicago-born African American he had clearly positioned himself against US President Trump on several occasions. Among other things, he had condemned her photo shoot in Washington.
Trump posed with a Bible in hand in front of the Episcopal Church of San Juan. Previously, security forces had to fight their way through protesters from the “Black Lives Matters” movement.
Wilton D. Gregory after being named a cardinal
What app
Gregory released a statement at the time, according to the LA Times, condemning the president’s actions as an attempt to “silence, disperse, or intimidate the crowd” just to “get an opportunity to take a photo in front of a church.”
Now there are a total of 229 cardinals. However, only 128 are likely to participate in a papal election, as the age limit for this is 80.
By the end of next year, six more will pass the age limit, two of whom were appointed by Francisco. According to the Holy See, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, appointed by Francis, and the two under Pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop Reinhard Marx and Bishop Rainer Maria Woelki participate in the conclave. There are eight German cardinals in all.
