ROME — Pope Francis on Saturday put in 21 new cardinals, a lot of whom are key figures in his reform agenda: a Dominican preacher who acted because the religious father for Francis’ current gathering of bishops, a Neapolitan “street priest” like himself, and a Peruvian bishop who has strongly backed his crackdown on abuse.
Francis’ tenth consistory to create new princes of the church can be the most important infusion of voting-age cardinals in his 11-year preach, additional cementing his imprint on the group of males who will in the future elect his successor. With Saturday’s additions, Francis can have created 110 of the 140 cardinals underneath 80, thus eligible to vote in a conclave.
Francis appeared on the ceremony within the St. Peter’s Basilica with a major bruise on his chin however presided over the ritual with out obvious issues.
A Vatican spokesman stated later Saturday that the bruise was brought on by a contusion Friday morning, when Francis hit his nightstand along with his chin. The pontiff, who turns 88 later this month, appeared barely fatigued Saturday however carried on with the scheduled ceremony.
Francis has suffered a number of well being issues lately and now makes use of a wheelchair as a result of knee and again ache. In 2017, whereas on a visit to Colombia, he sported a black eye after he hit his head on a assist bar when his popemobile stopped immediately.
Francis’ consistory brings the variety of voting-age cardinals properly over the 120-man restrict set by St. John Paul II. However 13 present cardinals will flip 80 subsequent 12 months, bringing the numbers again down.
This consistory is notable additionally as a result of the 21 males being elevated aren’t the identical ones Francis named Oct. 6 when he introduced an uncommon December consistory.
One among Francis’ authentic picks — Indonesian Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur, the bishop of Bogor — requested to not be made a cardinal “because of his desire to grow more in his life as a priest,” the Vatican stated. Francis shortly substituted him with Naples Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, recognized for his pastoral work within the slums and tough elements of Naples.
5 Italians
Battaglia is one among 5 Italians getting the purple hat, retaining the once-dominant Italian presence within the School of Cardinals robust. Turin is getting a cardinal in its archbishop, Roberto Repole, as is Rome: Baldassare Reina, who on the identical day Francis introduced he was changing into a cardinal additionally realized that Francis had promoted him to be his high administrator for the diocese of Rome.
Francis, who’s technically bishop of Rome, has been conducting a yearslong reorganization of the Rome diocese and its pontifical universities. Reina, who can be grand chancellor of the pre-eminent Pontifical Lateran College, will likely be anticipated to execute the reform.
One other Italian is the oldest cardinal: Angelo Acerbi, a 99-year-old retired Vatican diplomat. He’s the one one among the many 21 new cardinals to be older than 80 and thus ineligible to vote in a conclave. Francis’ picks on Saturday additionally embody the youngest cardinal: Mykola Bychok, the 44-year-old head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Melbourne, Australia.
“Ukraine has been fighting for three years officially, and maybe unofficially from 2014, after the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula and two regions, Donetsk and Lugansk,” Bychok stated. “… Maybe my weak voice will help to stop this war not only in Ukraine, but as well in other countries around the world.”
One more Italian chosen is one among two Vatican clergymen who do jobs within the Holy See that don’t normally carry the purple hat: Fabio Baggio serves as undersecretary within the Vatican improvement workplace.