Pope Names 6 Cardinals, None From Italy

AP ^ | 10/24/12 | Nicole Winfield

[marshmallow]

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI named six new cardinals on Wednesday, adding prelates from Lebanon, the Philippines, Nigeria, Colombia, India and the United States to the ranks of senior churchmen who will elect his successor.

Among them is Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household who was the direct superior of the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele. Gabriele was convicted Oct. 6 of stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to a reporter in the greatest Vatican security breach in modern times. Harvey will now become archpriest of a Roman basilica. The Vatican spokesman denied he was being removed because of the scandal.

Benedict, 85, announced the new cardinals during his weekly general audience and said they would be formally elevated at a consistory Nov. 24. The nominations help even out the geographic distribution of cardinals, which had tilted heavily toward Europe in general in the last few consistories and Italy in particular.

With the new cardinals, there will be 120 cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Europe still has the most, with 62. But with the new additions, the College of Cardinals is a tad more multinational: Latin America will have 21, North America 14, Africa 11, Asia 11 and Oceana one.

Aside from Harvey, the new cardinals are: Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, Ruben Salazar Gomez; Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal.

[dangus]

Just checking the easy sources (Wikipedia, Google, Catholic-hierarchy, etc.) to see who these guys are. Abp. Baselios will be the youngest cardinal... but he’s already waited five years for his red hat. His appointment to lead an entire Church at 47 years old (and only three days!) was astounding!

The new Archbishop of Manilla is scarcely older: only 55.

[dangus]

Baselios: Priest at 27. Bishop shortly after his 42nd birthday. Ordinary at 44. Archbishop at 46. Major archbishop (head of Malankarese Church) at 47. His diocese has spun off new dioceses twice since his appointment, even though it had already spun off a diocese in 1997.

Abp. Tagle: His Manilla diocese had rivaled Mexico City as the largest in the world, but between 2002 and 2003, it was divided into six dioceses. Nonetheless, he is still metropolitan over all six dioceses (ten in all). The Island of Luzon is still about the most Catholic region in the world; not only is it 90%+ Catholic, but still very fervently so, although it is certainly challenged by the very rapid acquisition of western-style prosperity. New trivia I just learned: Owing partly to the fact that only the immediate downtown area is included the incorporated city, Manila is the most densely populated city in the world, at only 15 square miles.

[Einherjar]

“It’sa all-a politics. “

Father Guido Sarducci

[Pecos]

Is that why Father Guido never donned the red cap? ;-)

[dangus]

I’d ask why on Earth you posted that here, except I’m quite sure I don’t want to know.

[Alex Murphy]

Among them is Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household who was the direct superior of the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele. Gabriele was convicted Oct. 6 of stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to a reporter in the greatest Vatican security breach in modern times. Harvey will now become archpriest of a Roman basilica. The Vatican spokesman denied he was being removed because of the scandal.

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