New Cardinals

Today the Holy Father will create nineteen new cardinals, the first of his pontificate.  The consistory will take place at 11am (Roman time; 10am GMT).  Here is the booklet for the consistory.   From 4.30pm to 6.30pm  this evening the new Cardinals will be in the Paul VI Hall and the Apostolic Palace for the traditional courtesy visit.  

We will await to see what Titular Churches they are given. Among those vacant at the moment are the  three famous churches in Trastevere: the Basilica of St Cecilia in Trastevere where the tomb of the martyr is preserved; San Crisogono where the body of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi is venerated, and the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere.  The Basilica of San Anselmo on the Aventine is also vacant.  San Anselmo, a Benedictine church, is the seat of the Abbot Primate of all Benedictines and is famous for its school of liturgy. I notice Pope Benedict's first titular church, Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino is also vacant.

In case you're interested, Blessed John Paul II's titular church when cardinal was San Cesareo in Palatio, situated at the start of the Appian Way. It is now the titular church of Cardinal Antonio Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants. Pope Francis's former titular church was the Jesuit parish church of San Roberto Bellarmino on the Via Panama.

And while we're at it, the titular churches of our two Irish cardinals.  Cardinal Desmond Connell's titular is San Silvestro in Capite, just off the Via Del Corso and in the care of the Irish Pallotines - a head purporting to be that of St John the Baptist's is preserved in a chapel there.  Cardinal Sean Brady's titular church is Santi Quirico e Giuletta on the Via di Tor di Conti.  Dedicated to a son and mother who were martyred; it was the parish church of the old Irish College and some students of the Irish college who died during their studies are buried there.  It was appropriate to give Cardinal Brady that church since he was rector of the Irish College for a time.

Hype

 

I was asked about the media reports concerning the appointment of two Irishwomen to the college of Cardinals: what did I think about it?  I said I'd just check the calendar to see if it's November 3rd or April 1st.

 

This story is non-runner for a number of reasons.  For one thing I know those two women and if the Pope decided to appoint women cardinals these ladies would not have a chance since persistent and obstinate dissent against Church teaching has never been a qualification for a red hat.  Seeing as mistakes have been made in the past in conferring the red hat, a certain Scottish cardinal being a case in point, I would hope the Pope would exercise a great deal of prudence before making any appointments to the sacred college.

 

If we are in an age of reform and a return to the "purer" faith of the early Church, then the office of Cardinal, if it were to be reformed, could return to being one taken up by the parish priests of Rome only.  That might be an attractive proposition to a pontiff who prefers to refer to himself as the Bishop of Rome.

 

These stories in the press are no more than the media attempting to set the agenda for the Church, red herrings, perhaps, to set the Church up for another accusation of discrimination when these ladies' names are not on the list.  These are false expectations and we need be very wary of them.  As a relation of mine would say: "They've lost the run of themselves".

Nuncio Ordained, New Cardinals Announced

Cardinal-designate, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York

As I mentioned earlier, Mgr Charles Brown, our new Nuncio, was ordained Archbishop in St Peter's Basilica today, by Pope Benedict - EWTN covered the ceremony, and it was beautiful.   May the Lord grant him every grace as he prepares for his mission to Ireland.

The Vatican have also just annouced the names of those who are to receive the red hat in February - the Consistory is to be held on the 18th.  Among the future Cardinals is Archbishop Tim Dolan of New York: there will be great celebrations there.  He is a regular visitor to Ireland and often visited us in Drogheda.  He is also one of the Apostolic Visitators to Ireland, investigating the seminaries, which was no easy task.  May the Lord bless him as he is raised to the Cardinalate.   Here is his reaction to his elevation: as always - humble, self-effacing and practical. 

Here is the list of Cardinals designate. 

First the Curial/Roman Appointments:

1. Msgr. Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples;
2. Msgr. Manuel Monteiro de Castro, Major Penitentiary;
3. Msgr. Santos Abril Y Castellò, Archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major;
4. Msgr Antonio Maria Veglio, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People;
5. Msgr. Giuseppe Bertelli, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of the same State;
6. Msgr Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts;
7. Msgr JOÃO Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life;
8. Msgr Edwin O'Brien, Pro Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem;
9. Msgr. Domenico Calcagno, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See;
10. Msgr Giuseppe Versaldi, President of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

The Metropolitan Archbishops, Primates, etc:

11. His Beatitude GEORGE Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro Malabar (India);
12. Msgr Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada);
13. Msgr Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague (Czech Republic);
14. Msgr Willem Jacobus Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht (Netherlands);
15. Msgr. Giuseppe Betori, Archbishop of Florence (Italy);
16. Msgr Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York (United States);
17. Msgr. Rainer Maria Woelk, Archbishop of Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany);
18. Msgr John Tong Hon, Bishop of Hong Kong (China).

The Holy Father is also raising another prelate and three priests to the Cardinalate, all of whom are over eighty:

1. His Beatitude Lucian Muresan, Major Archbishop of Fagaras and Alba Julia of the Romanians (Romania);
2. Rev. Julien Ries, priest of the Diocese of Namur and professor emeritus of history of religions at the Catholic University of Louvain;
3. Fr. Prospero Grech, OSA, Professor Emeritus of various Roman universities and Consultant to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;
4. Fr. Karl Becker, SJ, Professor Emeritus of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Consultant for many years the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

New Cardinals

The Holy Father has announced, as speculated, that he will hold a consistory on the 20th November and create twenty-four new cardinals.  The list is below. 

As expected Archbishop Dolan of New York and Archbishop Nichols are not included, as their predecessors are still under eighty, and so eligible to vote in a conclave.  Both men deserve it, but they will have to wait until the next consistory. 

Among the new Cardinals, the Holy Father is conferring the dignity on two priests: Mgr Walter Brandmuller, former president of the Pontifical Commission for Historical Sciences, and Mgr Domenico Bartolucci, former director of the Sistine Choir, all of whom are over eighty.  I also see Archbishop Raymond Burke is included - delighted with that. 

God bless them all, may they be true to their dignity and the colour they wear.  We must accompany them with our prayers.

The List: 

•Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints;
•Antonio Naguib, patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts,
•Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum,
•Francesco Monterisi, archpriest of St Paul's Outside the Walls,
•Fortunato Baldelli, major penitentiary of the Roman church,
•Raymond Burke, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura,
•Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
•Paolo Sardi, pro-Patron of the Order of Malta,
•Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
•Velasio DePaolis CS, prefect for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See (& papal delegate to the Legionaries of Christ)
•Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture
•Medardo Joseph Mazombwe, archbishop-emeritus of Lusaka (Zambia)
•Raul Eduardo Vela Chiliboga, archbishop-emeritus of Quito (Ecuador)
•Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa
•Paolo Romeo, archbishop of Palermo
•Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington
•Raymundo Damasceno Assis, archbishop of Aparecida
•Kazmierz Nycz, archbishop of Warsaw
•Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo
•Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising
•Archbishop Jose Manuel Estepa Llaurens, Military Ordinary-emeritus of Spain
•Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president-emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life
•Msgr Walter Brandmuller, president-emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for Historical Sciences
•Msgr Domenico Bartolucci, director-emeritus of the Sistine Choir