Cardinal Bertone

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Cardinals Update : Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., Cardinal Secretary of State Emeritus and Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church of the Apostolic Camera (Italy), turned 80, ceases to be a Cardinal-elector

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On Tuesday, 2 December 2014, Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone, S.D.B., Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati, Cardinal Secretary State Emeritus of the Secretariat of State and the Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church of Apostolic Camera or the Cardinal Camerlengo (Italy), turned 80, and therefore, according to the rules written in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, he lost his right to vote in any future conclave. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was born in Romano Canavese, Italy on 2 December 1934.

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(Above is the coat of arms of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone during the sede vacante of 2013)

Cardinal Bertone was made Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Ausiliatrice in Via Tuscolana pro hac vice Title by Pope St. John Paul II in the 2003 Consistory of Cardinals on 21 October 2003, the ninth and last Consistory of his pontificate. Cardinal Bertone was made a Cardinal in honour of his position as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Genoa, a position which he held from 2002 to 2006. Before that, Cardinal Bertone was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Vercelli and also the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, working closely with its Prefect, the then Cardinal Joseph Alois Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI).

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http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/data/cardJP2-9.htm#20

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Bertone as the Cardinal Secretary of State in 2006, and by virtue of that position as the Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati and also as the Cardinal Chamberlain or Camerlengo of the Church, the one to govern the Church during period of sede vacante, the latest of which was in 2013.

May God bless His Eminence Cardinal Bertone with a blessed old age and health. May he remain strong in the faith and hopefully can perhaps still continue to work great graces and good works of love and peace just as he had once done in his long service to the Church, particularly his contributions as a member of the Roman Curia as the Cardinal Secretary of State in helping the actions of the Holy See and the Pope.

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The College of Cardinals now stands at 209 members in total, with 112 Cardinal-electors and 97 Cardinal non-electors. There are now a vacancy of 8 Cardinal-electors as compared to the maximum number of electors allowed in the Conclave of 120.

Next Cardinal-elector to age out (80) will be Cardinal Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja (Indonesia), the Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Jakarta on 20 December 2014.

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New Secretary of State of the Holy See, Archbishop Pietro Parolin

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Archbishop Pietro Parolin, the longtime veteran of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, and a skilled and veteran diplomat in his current role as the Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela, as the trusted aide to Pope Benedict XVI (now Pope Emeritus), had been appointed on Saturday, 31 August 2013 as the new Secretary of State, the top position of the Roman Curia, the governing body of the Church.

In addition, as positions tied to the post of Secretary of State, Archbishop Parolin also automatically become the new President of Interdicasterial Commission on Particular Churches (which task is managing the Eastern Catholic Churches), President of Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe, and the Protector of Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.

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Archbishop Pietro Parolin will replace the outgoing Cardinal Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., who is also the Chamberlain (Camerlengo) of the Church, effective on 15 October 2013 as per the decree of Pope Francis released today.

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Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is then the Secretary of State Emeritus effective on the state mentioned in the paragraph above (15 October), when Archbishop Pietro Parolin officially takes over as the new Secretary of State. The position of the Secretary of State is the top in the Roman Curia, below only the Pope in the hierarchy of the Church. Cardinal Bertone will however remain as the Camerlengo of the Church.

We thank Cardinal Bertone for all his hard work and contributions to the Church, many of which were unknown to many, and all the labours he had done in great humility and dedication in his position as the servant of the Holy Church.

As the Secretary of State position is the top official post of the entire Church and the Roman Curia save for the Pope himself, it is expected that the 58 years old Archbishop Pietro Parolin will be made a Cardinal in the next Consistory of Cardinals (possibly early 2014 or late 2014).