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Rome – Pope Francis appointed 13 new Catholic cardinals on October 25, including two Vatican officials; archbishops in Rwanda, the Philippines and Chile; and Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC.
In an unexpected announcement at the end of the pontiff’s traditional Angelus Sunday prayer, the pontiff said he would install the new cardinals during a consistory at the Vatican on Nov. 28, setting the stage for an unusual and possibly unprecedented ceremony, held during the middle. of a continuing global pandemic.
Gregory, who has served as Archbishop of Washington since May 2019, will be the fourth American cardinal created by Francis, after Blase Cupich of Chicago, Joseph Tobin of Newark and Kevin Farrell, the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life.
The Washington prelate, typically known for his calm demeanor, made headlines in June when he harshly criticized the John Paul II National Shrine, owned by the Knights of Columbus, for hosting a visit by US President Donald Trump. The visit came a day after the president ordered the dispersal of peaceful protesters near the White House with tear gas.
Gregory is also the first African American Archbishop of Washington and will be the first black cardinal in the United States.
Five of the other new cardinals named major world dioceses: Kigali, Rwandan Archbishop Antoine Kambanda; Capiz, Archbishop of the Philippines José Advincula; Santiago, Chile Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco; Bishop Cornelius Sim, Apostolic Vicar of Brunei; and Siena, Italy Archbishop Augusto Paolo Lojudice.
The two Vatican officials named cardinals were Bishop Mario Grech, the new head of the Vatican office for the Synod of Bishops; and Bishop Marcello Semeraro, who has replaced the disgraced Cardinal Angelo Becciu as head of the Vatican’s Holiness Office.
Nine of the 13 cardinals appointed by the pope are under the age of 80, which means they will join the ranks of cardinal electors, or those who are tasked with meeting in conclave after the death or resignation of the pontiff to select his successor.
The ninth new cardinal elector is Fr. Mauro Gambetti, a conventual Franciscan, custodian of the convent attached to the Basilica of San Francisco in Assisi, Italy.
The ceremony on November 28 will be Francis’ seventh consistory for the creation of new cardinals since his election as pontiff in March 2013. The last time he appointed new cardinals in September 2019.
It was not immediately clear how the next consistory could be affected by the ongoing pandemic, which will likely require the ceremony to take place under Italy’s strict social distancing measures.
The pandemic may even affect the ability of some of the new cardinals to travel to Europe. Most US citizens, for example, have been banned from the continent since March.
In particular, the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church does not specify that a new cardinal must be physically present in the consistory to be installed in the College of Cardinals.
The creation of nine new cardinal electors will put their total number well above the limit of 120 set by Pope Paul VI. As of November 28, there will be 128 voters. (Not counting Becciu, who remains a cardinal but gave up “cardinal rights” on September 24 due to a series of financial scandals).
The number of cardinal electors is expected to decline by just six throughout 2021, when those cardinals turn 80.
The celebration of a new consistory once again consolidates the influence of Francisco in the group that one day will elect his successor. As of November 28, assuming there are no unexpected changes, the pontiff will have designated almost sixty percent of the prelates: 73 of 128 voters.
Thirty-nine will have been named by Pope Benedict XVI, now retired; 16 by Pope John Paul II.
The four new cardinals appointed by Francisco over 80 are: San Cristóbal de las Casas, Bishop of Mexico, Felipe Arizmendi; Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, a prominent Vatican diplomat; Capuchin Franciscan Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the papal house; and Mons. Enrico Feroci, former director of the Caritas agency of the diocese of Rome.
A common trait among the new Pope’s cardinals is the connection with a Franciscan order: two are Capuchin Franciscans; one is a conventual Franciscan. Another common trait is the connection with Italy: six of the 13 are Italian.
Tomasi, who was born in Italy, is also a naturalized US citizen. A priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of San Carlos, he obtained his doctorate in sociology from Fordham University before co-founding the Center for Migration Studies, a New York think tank. He subsequently served for 16 years as a permanent observer of the Holy See to the UN in Geneva.
Eric LeCompte, who through his work as CEO of the Jubilee USA Network got to know Tomasi as they both focused on debt, tax and trade issues at the UN, praised Francisco’s decision to appoint the diplomat and Gregory as cardinals at the same time. time.
“When we look at the appointments and we see names like Gregory and Tomasi, we see the Pope’s strong commitments to build bridges and advance the mission of the Church to ensure that everyone has enough and can live with dignity,” said LeCompte, who is based in Washington.
[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]
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