“The cardinal loves the Church, always with the same spiritual fire, whether he deals with issues great or small, whether he meets the greatness of this world or the small that is great before God,” said Francis.
After his homily, the pope asked for prayers for Richard Koya Bowber, Bishop of Wa in Ghana, who underwent surgery for a heart problem after arriving in Rome on Friday. The Bishop of Wa is one of twenty new cardinals.
New Cardinals
Among the new cardinals are the heads of the clergy and liturgy at the Vatican, Lazarus Yoo Heung-sik (70) and Arthur Roche (72), and Archbishop Fernando Vergiz Alzaga (77), head of state of the Vatican. The bishops of Marseille (France), Jean-Marc-Noel Aveline (63), Ekolobia (Nigeria), Peter Okpalecki (59), Manaus (Brazil), Leonardo Steiner (71), also received the cardinal’s hat.
The Pope appointed other cardinals: Archbishop Philip Neri Ferrão (69) of Goa and Damao (India), Bishop Robert McIlroy (68) of San Diego (USA), Archbishop Virgilio de Carmo da Silva (54) of Dili (East Timor) ). Also Bishops Oscar Cantone (71) of Como (Italy), Anthony Paul (60) of Hyderabad (India), Paulo Cesar Costa (55) of Brasilia, Richard Koya Bowber (63) of Wa (Ghana), William Goh Seng Chi (65) of Singapore, Adalberto Martinez Flores (71) of Asuncion (Paraguay) and Giorgio Marengo (48), Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
Francis also honored two honorary Archbishops, over eighty, with the hat of Cardinal: Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal (80) of Cartagena, Colombia and Arrigo Miglio (80) of Cagliari, Sardinia. Finally, the Italian theologian and Jesuit Gianfranco Ghirlanda (80) and Fortunato Frieza (80), a priest in St. Peter’s Basilica, also became cardinals. Belgian Bishop Luc van Looy (80), who was also named future cardinal by Pope Francis in May, renounced his cardinal promotion. In the background are allegations that the former Bishop of Ghent dealt with cases of abuse in his diocese.
With the current census of cardinals, the number of papal electors on Saturday will increase from 116 to (temporarily) 132, and the total number of cardinals from 207 to 227. But already on September 3, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez of El Salvador will reach the minimum age of 80 and thus lose his right to vote in secret meeting.
Since then Pius XII. (1939-1958), the College of Cardinals constantly became more and more international. In the era of Pope Francis, the tendency to “depart from Europe” was particularly pronounced. The absolute majority of Europeans in electing a pope, which had previously been a quasi-natural law, had long since been dropped. The proportion of Europeans plus North Americans falls no later than the first half of 2023, when five European voters withdrew. By September 2023, seven cardinals from Italy alone will be over the age of eighty.
Indulging in L’Aquila
The Pope will travel to L’Aquila, central Italy, on Sunday. The occasion is a traditional indulgence trip at Perdonanza Celestiniana in Abruzzo. This pilgrimage, which takes place annually on August 28 and 29, goes back to Pope Celestine V (ruled 1294). It sparks wild speculation, as Pope Celestine was the first pope to voluntarily resign from office. And Benedict XVI. He placed his king on Celestine’s tomb in L’Aquila. In addition, Francis wants to meet those affected by the severe 2009 earthquake, especially as a priest in L’Aquila.
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