


Two others holding important offices at the Vatican were also among the pope's picks on Sunday. But the speed with which the La Plata archbishop was tapped publicly as a cardinal - eight days after the appointment - was notable and highlights the attention the pontiff gives to that office.Ī U.S.-based group that tracks how the Catholic hierarchy deals with allegations of sexual abuse by clergy says Francis made a "troubling" choice in picking the Argentine archbishop, who, in 2019, refused to believe victims who accused a priest in that archdiocese of sexually abusing boys. The office that Francis appointed Fernández to is traditionally headed by a cardinal. They are Monsignor Stephen Brislin, 66, archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa Monsignor Protase Rugambwa, 63, co-adjutor archbishop of Tabora, Tanzania and Monsignor Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, 59, archbishop of Juba, South Sudan, which the pope visited earlier this year. Three of the churchmen chosen to receive the cardinal red work in Africa, a continent where the Church has experience growth in recent decades. That means, increasingly, the men who will vote for whoever succeeds Francis, in the event of his resignation or death, are churchmen supportive of his values, priorities and perspectives and who share his vision for the future of the Catholic Church. With the latest appointments, the number of cardinals who meet that condition stands at 137. Even before this latest group, he had already appointed the large majority of those eligible to elect the next pontiff - those aged under 80. But their most crucial duty is gathering in a secret conclave to elect the next pontiff.įrancis has now named nine batches of new cardinals in his 10-year papacy. Pope Francis announced on Sunday that he has chosen 21 new cardinals.Ĭardinals serve as advisers to the pontiff on matters of teaching and administration, including the Vatican's scandal-plagued finances. Pope Francis prays in front of new cardinals during consistory inside St. In announcing their names, Francis said the appointment of cardinals from across the globe "expresses the universality of the Church that continues to announce the merciful love of God to all men of the Earth." In an interview in April with The Associated Press, Pizzaballa, an Italian prelate who is the top Catholic churchman in the Holy Land, said that the region's 2,000-year-old Christian community has come under increasing attack, with the most right-wing government in Israel's history emboldening extremists who have harassed clergy and vandalized religious property at a quickening pace.įor decades, the Vatican and China have experienced tensions alternating with improvement of relations over the Communist-led nation's insistence that it has the right to appoint bishops and the jailing of priests who professed loyalty to the pope.Įarlier this year, the Hong Kong bishop, who, like Francis, is a Jesuit, made the first visit to mainland China in nearly 30 years by a prelate in that post. Religion After 10 years as pope, Francis continues to reshape the Catholic Church Those two churchmen guide flocks in geopolitical areas of keen concern to the Vatican.

The new cardinals also include Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Sau-yan Chow, 64, and the Vatican's top official in the Middle East, Monsignor Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 58, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. 30.Īmong those tapped are several prelates holding or about to assume major Vatican posts, including the archbishop from La Plata, Argentina, Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández, 59, whom the pope just named to lead the Holy See's powerful office for ensuring doctrinal orthodoxy and overseeing processing of allegations of sexual abuse against clergy worldwide.
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Peter's Square, saying the ceremony to formally install the churchmen as cardinals will be held on Sept. The pope announced his picks during his customary weekly appearance to the public in St. VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on Sunday announced he has chosen 21 new cardinals, including prelates from Jerusalem and Hong Kong - places where Catholics are a small minority - as he continues to leave his mark on the body of churchmen who will select his successor.

Pope Francis delivers the Angelus noon prayer in St.
