College of Cardinals

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Full text of Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement on resignation/retirement, effective Thursday, 28 February 2013 at 20:00 Rome time

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-benedict-xvi-announces-his-resignation-at-end

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity toadequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI

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Pope Benedict XVI will retire, effective on Thursday, 28 February 2013, at 20:00 Rome time due to old age.

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-benedict-xvi-announces-his-resignation-at-end

If there is a news that will shake the world, this is it. I myself was very surprised, but I can rather expect the news. It is not the first that a Pope has resigned, although extremely rare (Canon Law does allow Popes to retire), and the last to resign was Pope Gregory XII in 1415 who resigned to end the Great Schism in the Church, and allow the Church to formally reunite again, and another Pope to resign was the great Pope St. Celestine V, who was elected as Pope at a very old age, just like our current Pope Benedict XVI, and showed example through his great leadership and great holiness. He also resigned due to old age, and wished to spend the rest of his life in prayer and quietness, just like our current Pope Benedict XVI wished to do.

Pope Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ratzinger before his election as the Bishop of Rome, has repeatedly asked the late Pope John Paul II then to be allowed to retire and return to his native Bavaria, which because of his election as the Bishop of Rome, was not able to do so. Now that Holy Father will retire at the end of this month, let us all pray for him, that he can have a great and fulfilling holy life dedicated in prayer to God, and may God be with him always, and also with his successor, whoever it will be. Amen!

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Passing of Cardinal Giovanni Cheli (Italy), President Emeritus of Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People

http://www.gcatholic.com/hierarchy/data/cardJP2-7.htm#32

Cardinal Giovanni Cheli of Italy, who was the Cardinal Priest of Ss. Cosma e Damiano, passed away at the age of 94, on Friday, 8 February 2013. He was the Pro-President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People from 1986 to 1989, and then as the President from 1989 to 1998.

Let us pray for Cardinal Cheli, that God will indeed welcome him into His heavenly kingdom, and may eternal rest be granted upon him. Requiescat in Pace. Amen.

(College of Cardinals now stands at 209 members, with 118 electors and 91 non-electors (reduced by 1 due to the passing of Cardinal Cheli))

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New appointments for new Cardinals (Created in Consistory of 24 November 2012)

http://visnews-en.blogspot.sg/2013/01/other-pontifical-acts_31.html

To summarise, I will arrange the appointments by each Cardinals to make it easier to view.

1. Cardinal James Michael Harvey, Archpriest of Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls :

Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples

Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See

2. Cardinal Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites (Lebanon) :

Congregation for the Oriental Churches

Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura

Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrant and Itinerant Peoples

Pontifical Council for Social Communications

3. Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars  (India):

Congregation for the Oriental Churches

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue

4. Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Abuja (Nigeria) :

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Presidency Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family

5. Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bogota (Colombia) :

Pontifical Commission for Latin America

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

6. Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila (Philippines) :

Presidency Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family

Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrant and Itinerant Peoples

Pray for all the six Cardinals in their new ministry, that through their works, the world will be made a better place for all mankind.

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Happy 80th Anniversary to Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan!

http://www.gcatholic.com/hierarchy/data/cardJP2-9.htm#89

I would like to wish His Eminence, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers and Bishop Emeritus of Zacatecas (Mexico), a very happy 80th anniversary today (26 January 2013 – present).

May God bless Your Eminence with great health and great strength to continue the ministry that God has given you, Ad multos annos!

Today, the College of Cardinals loses one elector, as Cardinal Barragan is no longer eligible to vote upon turning 80 today. The College stands at 210 members, 118 electors and 92 non-electors.

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Passing of Cardinal Jozef Glemp, Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Warszawa, former Primate of Poland

Cardinal Jozef Glemp passed away yesterday, 23 January 2013 at the age of 83. He was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Warszawa and Primate of Poland when he was Metropolitan Archbishop of Gniezno.

College of Cardinals stands at 210 members, 119 electors and 91 non-electors (above 80)

Details of Cardinal Jozef Glemp (From http://www.gcatholic.com)

http://www.gcatholic.com/hierarchy/data/cardJP2-2.htm#61

Bishop of Warmia (Poland) (1979.03.04 – 1981.07.07)

President of Konferencja Episkopatu Polski (1981 – 2004.03)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Gniezno (Poland) (1981.07.07 – 1992.03.25)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Warszawa (Poland) (1981.07.07 – 2006.12.06)

Ordinary of Ordynariat dla wiernych obrządku wschodniego of the Eastern Rite (Poland) (1981.09.18 – 2007.06.09)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere (1983.02.02 – 2013.01.23)

Apostolic Administrator of Warszawa (Poland) (2007.01.07 – 2007.03.03)