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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Pope Francis appoints 19 new cardinals in Rome Ceremony attended by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Saturday Feb 22,2014


Pope Francis appointed 19 new cardinals at a ceremony in Rome - the first such appointments of his papacy.(Cardinals are the most senior Roman Catholic clergymen below the pontiff)


The 19 new Cardinals are -

  • Archbishop Pietro Parolin (Italy)
  • Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri (Italy)
  • Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller (Germany)
  • Archbishop, Beniamino Stella (Italy)
  • Archbishop Vincent Nichols (Britain)
  • Archbishop Leopoldo Jose Brenes Solorzano (Nicaragua)
  • Archbishop Gerald Cyprien Lacroix (Canada)
  • Archbishop Jean-Pierre Kutwa (Ivory Coast)
  • Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta (Brazil)
  • Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti (Italy)
  • Archbishop Mario Aurelio Poli (Argentina)
  • Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo Jung (South Korea)
  • Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello (Chile)
  • Archbishop Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso)
  • Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo (Philippines)
  • Archbishop Chibly Langlois (Haiti)
  • Monsignor Loris Francesco Capovilla (Italy) *
  • Archbishop Fernando Sebastian Aguilar (Spain) *
  • Monsignor Kelvin Edward Felix (St Lucia) *
* Cardinal emeritus, without voting rights

The new cardinals received the traditional red hat and robes at the ceremony, known as a consistory, which was conducted in Latin and followed ancient tradition.



 One by one, they knelt in front of Pope Francis to receive the hat and gold ring of office.

 The new cardinals, known as princes of the church, were installed during a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

The new group includes 16 prelates eligible to vote for the next pope and three cardinals emeriti, over the age of 80, who are being recognized for their service to the church.

Loris Francesco Capovilla, who at 98 is the oldest to be appointed, didn’t didn’t attend the ceremony for health reasons, a spokesman for the Vatican said by phone. He is a former personal secretary to Pope John XXIII.

The youngest cardinal in the group is Chibly Langlois, 55, from Haiti, the island that suffered a devastating earthquake in 2010 and deaths and destruction from Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

In an unprecedented blending of papacies past, present and future, retired Pope Benedict XVI joined Pope Francis at a ceremony on Saturday Feb 22,2014 to formally install new cardinals who will one day elect their successor.

It was the first time Benedict and Francis have appeared together at a public liturgical ceremony since Benedict retired on Feb. 28, 2013, becoming the first pope to step down in more than 600 years.



Benedict entered St. Peter’s Basilica discreetly from a side entrance surrounded by a small entourage and was greeted with applause and tears from the stunned people in the pews. He smiled, waved and seemed genuinely happy to be there, taking his seat in the front row, off to the side, alongside the red-draped cardinals

“We are grateful for your presence here among us,” newly minted Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, told Benedict in his introductory remarks.

Francis warmly greeted his predecessor at the start and end of the service, clasping him by his shoulders and embracing him. Benedict removed his white skullcap in a show of respect as Francis approached.

But in a sign that Benedict still commands the honor and respect owed a pope, each of the 19 new cardinals — after receiving his red hat from Francis at the altar — went directly to Benedict’s seat to greet him before then exchanging a sign of peace with the other cardinals.

Over the summer, Francis and Benedict appeared together in the Vatican gardens for a ceremony to unveil a statue. 

 Saturday’s surprise event was the latest in the evolving reality for the church of having two popes living side-by-side in the Vatican.

But Saturday’s event was something else entirely, a liturgical service inside St. Peter’s Basilica marking one of the most important things a pope can do: create new cardinals.

 Benedict had no formal role whatsoever in the ceremony, but his presence could signal a new phase in his cloistered retirement that began with his Feb. 28, 2013, resignation. 

Chances are increasing that Benedict might also appear at the April 27 canonization of his predecessor, John Paul II, and Pope John XXIII.



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