Pope Announces 13 New Princes of the Catholic Church

       His Holiness, Pope Francis

Come November 28, 2020, thirteen (13) new additions to the College of Cardinals will be inuagurated at the Vatican city, in Rome. This follows the appointments of 13 new Cardinals by Pope Francis, nine of them are younger than 80 years and therefore, likely to participate in a future conclave to elect new pope. Four others are older than 80 years of age. Only Cardinals below the age of 80 are eligible to elect new pope.

Pope Francis’s announcement came as a surprise to many of the appointees. He communicated the news regarding the creation of the new cardinals to the faithful present in St Peter’s Square after his usual Angelus prayers as well as to the world.

Two of the new Cardinals work in the Roman Curia. They are the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Maltese Mario Grech, and the Italian Marcello Semeraro, former Bishop of Albano and the new Prefect for the Congregation of the Causes of Saints.

African continent is not left out with the appointment of the Archbishop of Kigali, Rwanda, Antoine Kambanda.

Cardinal-elect, Antoine Kambanda of Kigali

Five other pastors in the Church throughout the world are joining them:  the Archbishop of Washington, United States, Wilton Gregory; the Archbishop of Capiz, in the Philippines, Jose Fuerte Advincula; the Archbishop of Santiago, Chile, Celestino Aós Braco; the Apostolic Vicar of Brunei, Cornelius Sim; the Archbishop of Siena, Italia, Augusto Paolo Lojudice.

In addition, the Pope has also appointed the current Guardian of the Franciscan Sacro Convento in Assisi.

To these Cardinals who are younger than 80 years of age, Pope Francis has also added four other Cardinals who are older than 80. They are: Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, Archbishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas (Mexico); former Apostolic Nuncio Silvano Tomasi, former permanent observer at the United Nations in Geneva who then worked in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Papal Household; and the pastor of the Shrine of Divine Love, Father Enrico Feroci.

Cardinals wear the colour red which indicates their willingness to sacrifice themselves usque ad sanguinis effusionem, that is, to the point of sheding their own blood, in the service of the Successor of Peter. Even though they reside in the remostest regions of the world, they become the titular Bishop of a parish in the Eternal City and be incardinated in the Church of which the Pope is Bishop.