Pope Francis appointed 13 cardinals from eight countries on Sunday. (File)
Vatican City:
Pope Francis, leaving his mark on the Roman Catholic Church in the future, appointed 13 cardinals from eight countries on Sunday, nine of whom are eligible to enter a conclave to elect his successor after his death or resignation.
The nine new cardinal electors, who the pope listed in a surprise announcement while addressing pilgrims from his window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, include Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington D.C.
Gregory, who would become the first African American to hold the rank, has become a national figure in recent months. He called for dialogue to ease racial tensions in the United States following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in May.
He also indirectly clashed with US President Donald Trump last June when he said he found it “confusing and reprehensible” that a Catholic church in Washington allowed Trump to use the facility for a photoshoot. Trump supporters later denounced Gregory.
The 13 new cardinals will be elevated to high rank in a ceremony known as the Vatican consistory on November 28, and the selection of more cardinal voters increases the possibility that the next pope will be someone who will continue politics by François.
Francis has now appointed around 57% of the cardinal electors, of which the number rises to around 128 with the appointment of the new cardinals. The others were named by Francis’ two more conservative predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II.
Church rules generally limit the number of cardinal voters to 120, but the Popes have bypassed this limit by appointing more, taking into account that some will be 80 in the coming year.
The nine new voters come from Italy, Malta, Rwanda, the United States, the Philippines, Chile, Brunei and Mexico.
Two of the new cardinals, Archbishop Antoine Kambanda of Kigali, Rwanda, and Bishop Cornelius Sim of Brunei appear to be part of Francis’ policy of giving more prestige to the Church in remote places, often where the Catholics are a tiny minority.
His elevation from Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco of Chile to the rank of cardinal is significant as it is part of Francis’ attempt to heal the country still reeling from a crisis of sexual abuse.
The new cardinal’s predecessor as Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, was the most senior member of the Chilean Church to be caught in the scandal.
The appointment of Aos Braco was particularly painful for Chileans as he is Spanish and not a native, signaling the Pope’s belief that a foreigner was needed to clean up the situation.
LONG SERVICE
The four non-electors, who will not be allowed to enter a conclave because they are over 80, are elevated to high rank due to their long service to the Church. They come from Italy and Mexico.
Among them is Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, an Italian who has worked around the world and who is one of the Church’s best experts on immigration matters.
The nine new cardinal electors under the age of 80 are:
** Bishop Mario Grech, 63, Maltese, secretary of the Vatican-based Synod of Bishops.
** Bishop Marcello Semeraro, 73, Italian, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
** Antoine Kambanda, Rwandan, 61, Archbishop of Kigali.
** Wilton D. Gregory, American, 72, Archbishop of Washington D.C.
** Jose F. Advincula, 68, Filipino, Archbishop of Capiz.
** Celestino Aos Braco, 75, Spanish, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile.
** Bishop Cornelius Sim, 69, Brunei, Apostolic Vicar of Brunei
** Augusto Paolo Lojudice, 56, Italian, Archbishop of Siena, Italy.
** Father Mauro Gambetti, 54, Italian, guardian of the Franciscan convent of Saint Francis in Assisi.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
