Pope Francis will create new cardinals

By Martine Kablan On Nov 8, 2024

The Catholic Church in joy

During the Angelus on Sunday 06 October, Pope Francis announced that new cardinals would be created at a consistory to be held on 8 December 2024, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. These new cardinals, numbering 21 in the initial list, will constitute the tenth promotion of cardinals created by Pope Francis since 2013.

They are:

Archbishop Angelo ACERBI, Apostolic Nuncio;
Archbishop Carlos Gustavo CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO of Lima, Peru;
Archbishop Vicente BOKALIC IGLIC C.M., Archbishop of Santiago Del Estero (Primate Of Argentina);
Archbishop Luis Gerardo CABRERA HERRERA, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador;
Archbishop Fernando Natalio CHOMALÍ GARIB Archbishop of Santiago De Chile, Chile;
Archbishop Tarcisio Isao KIKUCHI, S.V.D., of Tokyo, Japan;
Bishop Pablo Virgilio SIONGCO DAVID of Kalookan, Philippines;
Archbishop Ladislav NEMET, S.V.D. of Belgrade; Serbia;
Archbishop Jaime SPENGLER, O.F.M. of Porto Alegre, Brazil;
Archbishop Ignace BESSI DOGBO of Abidjan, Ivory Coast;
Archbishop Jean-Paul VESCO, O.P. of Algiers, Algeria;
Bishop Paskalis Bruno SYUKUR, O.F.M. of Bogor, Indonesia;
Archbishop Dominique Joseph MATHIEU, O.F.M. of Tehran Ispahan, Iran;
Archbishop Roberto REPOLE of Turin, Italy;
Bishop Baldassare REINA, Auxiliary Bishop of Rome and Vicar General for the Diocese Of Rome;
Archbishop Francis LEO of Toronto, Canada;
Archbishop Rolandas MAKRICKAS, coadjutor Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major;
Bishop Mykola BYCHOK, C.S.R. of the Ukrainian Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia;
Dominican Fr. Timothy Peter Joseph RADCLIFFE, OP, theologian;
Fr. Fabio BAGGIO, C.S., under-secretary of the Dicastery For Promoting Integral Human Development;
Msgr. George Jacob KOOVAKAD, official of the Vatican’s Secretary of State, apostolic travel organiser.

Twenty of these future cardinals are under the age of 80 and would therefore be eligible in the event of a conclave to elect a new Pope.

A first withdrawal

H.E. Mgr Paskalis Bruno SYUKUR, O.F.M., asked Pope Francis not to be created a cardinal at the Consistory of 8 December 2024. The Pope has accepted this refusal. On Tuesday 22 October, the Vatican explained that the bishop’s request ‘was motivated by his desire to continue to grow in priestly life, in the service of the Church and the people of God’.

In the end, therefore, 20 cardinals could be created in the near future.

Some aspects of the appointment of a Cardinal in the Catholic Church

Among the most influential roles in the Catholic Church, that of cardinal occupies a central place. The appointment of a cardinal is one of the most important decisions taken by the Pope. Cardinals are chosen from among the bishops or, exceptionally, from among priests, as is the case with some of these new appointees. They are proclaimed at a consistory, a meeting of cardinals convened by the Pope.

To ensure geographical and cultural diversity, the majority of cardinals come from different dioceses around the world. Some also come from the Roman Curia, the central government of the Catholic Church.

The role of the Cardinal

Each cardinal is responsible for promoting the Catholic faith throughout the world. They assist and advise the Pope on the major affairs of the Church.

Cardinals are often sent as the Pope’s personal representatives to important world events and religious ceremonies.

Some cardinals hold the position of patriarch in Eastern churches in communion with Rome, as is the case of the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church Louis Raphael I Sako, appointed Cardinal by Pope Francis on 20 May 2018. These cardinals have a spiritual and pastoral influence in regions where the Catholic presence is often a minority, playing a key role in ecumenical dialogue.

Other cardinals hold administrative positions in various dicasteries (ministries) of the Roman Curia.

Cardinals are responsible for electing a new pope. Their role is therefore crucial in the administration of the Church, particularly when the papal see is vacant.

The College of Cardinals is the body that brings together all the cardinals of the Catholic Church.

The symbolism of the cardinals’ attributes

When a bishop is appointed a cardinal, he receives from the Pope the biretta, the ring and the cardinal purple, symbolising the blood of the martyrs. This colour is a reminder of the commitment of cardinals to be ready to defend the faith, even at the cost of their lives.

The cardinal’s biretta is a headdress in the shape of a quadrangular hat. It is purple in colour. During the consistory, the Pope solemnly presents it to the new cardinals, officially marking their entry into the College of Cardinals.

The cardinal’s ring: in addition to the biretta, the Pope also gives them a cardinal’s ring, which replaces the ring they received when they were ordained bishops.

The cardinal’s purple: this red garment is the symbol of the blood that cardinals are prepared to shed in the name of the faith.

Cardinals are called to be living witnesses to the Gospel, both in their spiritual life and in their daily service to the Church.

‘Eyes raised, hands joined, feet bare’.

In a letter to the new cardinals dated 06 October, Pope Francis welcomed them to the clergy of Rome and encouraged them to embody these three attitudes: ‘eyes raised, hands clasped, feet bare’.

Eyes raised ‘in order to see farther and to love more expansively and with greater fervour’. Hands clasped ‘because what the Church most needs – together with the preaching of the Gospel – is prayer, to help to seek and discover God’s will’. Bare feet ‘that touch the harsh realities of all those parts of the world overwhelmed by the pain and suffering due to war, discrimination, persecution, hunger and many forms of poverty.’

Let us pray for these new cardinals, the Pope’s new advisors, that they may embody fidelity to the Pope and openness to the contemporary challenges facing the Church throughout the world.

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