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New Cardinals and their assigned Churches in Rome, Consistory of 22 February 2014

On the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, on Saturday, 22 February 2014, the Vicar of Christ and Bishop of Rome, Leader of the Universal Church, Pope Francis elevates 19 new Cardinals to the Cardinalate by the bestowal of the red biretta, 15 of which are of the order of priests (Cardinal Priests) and 4 of which are of the order of deacons (Cardinal Deacons).

3 of the new Cardinals are non-electors, being above the age of 80, appointed purely as honorary Cardinals for their service to the Church, and the other 16 Cardinals are voting-age Cardinals (below 80), and will be eligible to vote for the next Pope in the next Conclave until they reach the age of 80.

The College of Cardinals now stands at 218 members, with 122 Cardinal-electors and 96 Cardinal non-electors as of 22 February 2014.

In total, 2 new Cardinal churches in Rome are created, 1 for Cardinal Titular church and 1 for Cardinal deaconry.There are as of now, 0 vacant Cardinal Title, and 6 vacant Cardinal Deaconries.

 

Cardinal Deaconries :

1. Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Cardinal Secretary of State

Cardinal Deaconry of Ss. Simone e Giuda Taddeo e Torre Angela (New Deaconry)

 

2. Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops and College of Cardinals

Cardinal Deaconry of S. Anselmo all’Aventino

 

3. Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Cardinal Deaconry of S. Agnese in Agone

 

4. Beniamino Cardinal Stella, Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy

Cardinal Deaconry of Ss. Cosma e Damiano

 

Cardinal Titles :

1. Vincent Gerard Cardinal Nichols, Metropolitan Archbishop of Westminster (UK)

Cardinal Title of Ss. Redentore e S. Alfonso in Via Merulana

 

2. Leopoldo Jose Cardinal Brenes Solorzano, Metropolitan Archbishop of Managua (Nicaragua)

Cardinal Title of S. Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello

 

3. Gerald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, Metropolitan Archbishop of Quebec (Canada)

Cardinal Title of Giuseppe all’Aurelio

 

4. Jean-Pierre Cardinal Kutwa, Metropolitan Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast/Cote d’Ivoire)

Cardinal Title of S. Emerenziana a Tor Fiorenza

 

5. Orani Joao Cardinal Tempesta, Metropolitan Archbishop of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Cardinal Title of S. Maria Madre della Provvidenza e Monte Verde

 

6. Gualtiero Cardinal Bassetti, Metropolitan Archbishop of Perugia-Citta della Pieve (Italy)

Cardinal Title of S. Cecilia

 

7. Mario Aurelio Cardinal Poli, Metropolitan Archbishop of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Cardinal Title of S. Roberto Bellarmino

 

8. Andrew Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung, Metropolitan Archbishop of Seoul (South Korea)

Cardinal Title of S. Crisogono

 

9. Ricardo Cardinal Ezzati Andrello, Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago (Chile)

Cardinal Title of Ss. Redentore a Valmelaina

 

10. Philippe Nakellentuba Cardinal Ouedraogo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Cardinal Title of S. Marie Consolatrice al Tiburtino

 

11. Orlando Beltran Cardinal Quevedo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cotabato (Philippines)

Cardinal Title of S. Maria ‘Regina Mundi’ a Torre Spaccata

 

12. Chibly Cardinal Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes (Haiti)

Cardinal Title of S. Giacomo in Augusta (New Title)

 

13. Loris Francesco Cardinal Capovilla, Titular Archbishop of Mesembria, Personal Secretary to Blessed Pope John XXIII

Cardinal Title of S. Maria in Trastevere

 

14. Fernando Cardinal Sebastian Aguilar,  Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Pamplona y Tudela (Spain)

Cardinal Title of S. Angela Merici

 

15. Kelvin Cardinal Edward Felix,  Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Castries (Saint Lucia)

Cardinal Title of S. Maria della Salute a Primavalle

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Who to watch for in 2013 papal conclave? Scola, Ouellet, Ravasi, Scherer

Scola, Ouellet, Ravasi, Scherer, who you should watch for in the Conclave.

 

Scola (Cardinal Angelo Scola, Metropolitan Archbishop of Milan)

Italian, so that even though he’s not in Curia, he did have experience in Rome, and he is already close to Rome, both in distance and relations. Also close to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,
and he has also done great job in Venice and then Milan, in which
these two archdioceses alone produced 5 popes in the past century

Only Pope Benedict XV and Pope Pius XII were not from these (excluding Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI)

Venice : Pius X, John XXIII, John Paul I
Milan : Pius XI, Paul VI

Also at the forefront of communication with Islam through the publications Oasis he created to reach out to Christians in the Muslim world, and involved in interreligious dialogues.

Scola is also more charismatic than Ouellet and also active in the media via youtube, twitter, his site.

Scola is also a well-known author in bioethics, and certainly is a trait needed for a Pope that will lead the Church in its constant battle against the improper use of Science. Yes to an ethical science, but no to unbridled and uncontrolled use of science!

If the conclave proceeds smoothly, he should be the one elected Pope, within 2 or 3 days from the start of the conclave.

 

Ouellet (Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops)

In the Roman Curia and in charge of the bishops, but with the problem is that his archdiocesan experience is not that good, and the story has come out that the very church and parish we was born into, was no longer there, which is shameful considering the rate of secularisation in the west. Formerly he was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Quebec in Canada.

But so far he has done quite a good job, and quite in line with Pope Benedict XVI, by appointing bishops who are not only known to be good administrators, but more importantly, bishops who are holy, and are steadfast in their faith, with individuals like Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia and Cardinal Tagle of Manila as example.

 

Ravasi (Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of Pontifical Council for Culture)

Ravasi is the forefront in how the Church communicates with social issues and the media, and he has been quite active in twitter, more so than Scola, but his administrative skill has been found rather lacking, since he has only five or six years experience as a bishop and never had any experience in handling major archdioceses or dioceses.

At least Cardinal Ravasi will sure make good use of the social media to help evangelise the faith to many, especially youths. But at the moment, we will also need candidate who are more experienced in administration as well, especially considering the troubles that had befallen the Church in recent years due to some inefficiencies in administration.

 

Scherer (Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, Metropolitan Archbishop of Sao Paulo)

Scherer is rather conservative and as a Latin American, this may boost his chances, but he is quite young and he is not familiar with the curia and with still a relatively short experience as a senior prelate, he needs more experience in managing important archdioceses and other administrative matters.

In addition, the status of Brazil as a country, although having the largest Catholic population in the world, but the rapidly declining number of Catholics in the country as a percentage of the population and the rapidly growing secularisation in the country (also affect the rest of Latin America) may also affect his chances.

 

In fact, this time round, just as it was with the election of Pope Benedict XVI, now our Pope Emeritus, we does have a clear leading papabili, and the number of papabili is in fact not as many as the media mentioned it.

It will not be like the election of Pope John XXIII when there is no clear preferred papabili present, which resulted in the election of Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, later Pope John XXIII as the compromise choice.

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Papabili for the 2013 Papal Conclave (List) : My summary and opinions

Cardinal Angelo Scola : My favourite to be the next Pope. The leading Italian candidate, Archbishop of Milan, and former Patriarch of Venice. He is also a spiritual and intellectual disciple of our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, with similar views on the liturgy. Best person to continue the work that has been started by Pope Benedict XVI on ‘reform of the reform’ and other issues of the faith and the Church.

View his videos, homilies, activities, and Masses at his site : http://angeloscola.it/ and the Youtube page of Archdiocese of Milan at : http://www.youtube.com/user/itleditore

Cardinal Marc Ouellet : Canadian, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, former Primate of Canada and Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Quebec. My second favourite and alternative to Cardinal Scola to be the next Bishop of Rome, and also widely regarded as the top non-Italian and non-European candidate. He is also close to our Pope Benedict XVI in his views and intellectually as well, though may be not as close as Cardinal Scola is. He has done a great job at the Congregation, and has seen the appointment of bishops who are not just good administrators, but also good in intellect and faith as well.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi : Italian, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, well-known for his activity in engaging the media and the new media, particularly through the Internet, via Twitter and other social media in the approach for new evangelisation, and also has done great works among the youth, who are the Church’s future. May have chance if Cardinal Scola’s candidacy does not make it. Drawback is that he has less experience, being only less than 3 years as a Cardinal and about 6 years as a bishop, with little experience outside the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone : Italian, Cardinal Secretary of State. The prime Cardinal in the Roman Curia, the second hand of the Pope. He is seen as a strong leader, but many has seen that he is a rather dominating persona, which may be incompatible with the office of the Papacy, and he is also rather too old at 78 going 79 at the end of this year. As Pope Benedict XVI was elected just on his 78th birthday, just like Cardinal Arinze, who is already above 80, the chance of the College of Cardinals to elect someone too old is getting more remote, especially considering the reason for Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to retire and renounce the position as the Bishop of Rome.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan : American, Metropolitan Archbishop of New York. Jovial and lively, reminds me much of Blessed Pope John XXIII. Conservative in issues and outlook. However, being a Cardinal from the world’s only superpower and also the troubles in the American church makes his chances rather slim. However, his youth, his charisma, and his position as the President of the US Catholic Bishops’ Conference may boost his chances to be elected.

Cardinal Raymond Burke : American, Prefect of Supreme Tribunal of Apostolic Signatura (or the Supreme/Chief Justice of the Holy See). Relatively young and traditional, worn the traditional Cardinal dress (galero and cappa magna) and one of the more-traditionally minded Cardinal in the College. Often celebrated the Mass in the Extraordinary Form. May be a good choice for those looking for a more traditional candidate as the next Pope, to continue the ‘reform of the reform’ of Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn : Austrian. Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienna. Long seen as the contender for the Papacy, even since the 2005 election. Still rather young at 68 (even younger during the 2005 conclave). However, he is a controversial figure, often recorded with the liturgical abuses (he himself may not mean so, as his funeral Mass for the late Archduke Otto of Austria was done very reverently and liturgically correct), such as the youth Mass with rock concert/party style-Mass and not-so-traditional types of worship, and then with a German currently as the Bishop of Rome, it is less likely that the Cardinals will elect another German as Pope, even though he came from neighbouring Austria.

Cardinal Francis Arinze : Nigerian, Former Prefect of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Often touted recently in the media with Cardinal Peter Turkson, another African (Ghana), due to the intense media bias on the possibility of having an African Pope in this Conclave. Not to be biased, but what the media often reported is not what is the actual happening on the ground. Main problem is, according to Universi Dominici Gregis, although it specifically state that he cannot vote as elector because he is already above 80 of age, he may still be elected, but considering that Pope Benedict XVI has resigned at the age of 85 going 86, the Cardinals will likely want to elect someone in their early 70s like Cardinal Scola or late 60s like Cardinal Ouellet.

Cardinal Peter Turkson : Ghana (Africa), President of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Seen by many as a strong contender, but with main issues regarding his frequent gaffes and improper comments regarding Muslim-Christian relations, which is a very important and delicate matter in the Church indeed. He was also censured somewhat for his screening of a clip that showed the rise of Islam in Europe last year, which quite a few Cardinals saw as fearmongering. In addition, his name, Peter, may bring about intense speculation on Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman) in the Prophecy of St. Malachy on the Popes. Petrus Romanus, being the last Pope, will come at the time near the end of time, heading the Church in the time of persecution (as perhaps told in the Book of Revelations). As this last prophecy is not numbered, it is most likely that St. Malachy purposely did so / the vision given by the Lord purposely did so such that we know what’s going to happen, but not the exact time when the Lord will come again, so that we will always be ready for His coming. So, no, most likely we won’t have a Peter or Pope Peter in this time round. (Addition : Cardinal Turkson has also openly announced that he is ready to be elected if he is. Normally this is frowned, as this is seen as ambition, and incompatible with the will of the Holy Spirit. Remember that the papal conclave is not the same as the US presidential elections or any other secular elections, it is far above that).

Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle : Filipino (Asia), Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila. A young and new Cardinal appointed by the Pope at his last consistory last November. This may be seen by some as the Pope appointing his ‘successor’ but it is actually not so. I myself hope that he will be elected Pope, but not this time, maybe after the next one, and he can have the chance to be the 268th Pope instead (we are electing the 267th Bishop of Rome in this conclave). First is his very young age, and his relative lack of experience in both as a Cardinal and the Archbishop of Manila. I have very high opinions on Cardinal Tagle and was very glad when he was named a Cardinal last year, but to me, let Cardinal Tagle do great works first in Manila for many more years, and then, with all those experiences, then he can become an even better Pope next time.

This list is still incomplete, and I will post additions from time to time. In any case, it is not man to decide who’s the next leader of the Universal Church, the Vicar of Christ. It is Christ Himself, through the Holy Spirit, and thus through the Cardinal-electors inspired by the Spirit who decides. Pray for them, and for the entire Universal Church, and for the whole world. Amen.