On red hat day, a small but historic change in the college

Today marks not only Pope Francis’ fifth red hat day, with the ceremonies to begin at 4 pm Roman time, but also an historical change in the composition of the College of Cardinals, albeit one with, on first glance, little effect on the day to day affairs of the Church.

The College of Cardinals is divided into three ranks: the cardinal-deacons, cardinal-priests and cardinal-bishops. Of these, the cardinal-bishops are of the highest rank and also the smallest of the three groups. Traditionally, the cardinal-bishops were the bishops of the seven* suburbicarian sees, the ancient dioceses surrounding Rome. Before 1962, these cardinals were the actual bishops of the suburbicarian sees, but in that year the position became titular and the dioceses received bishops who had the time to actual manage them.

The cardinal-bishops remained the highest order of cardinals, however, and from their ranks the dean and vice-dean of the entire College were chosen. In times of a sede vacante this becomes most visible, as the dean has the duty of calling the other cardinals to Rome and organising the conclave to elect a new pope. Today, the Dean of the College of Cardinals is the cardinal-bishop of Albano and Ostia, Cardinal Angelo Sodano**.

Maronite Patriarch Béchara Boutros Raï, an eastern cardinal-bishop

In 1965, the order of cardinal-bishops was expanded by the addition of those patriarchs of eastern Churches in union with Rome who were made cardinals. There are three of these today: the Coptic patriarch and the current and previous Maronite patriarchs. After today’s consistory, they will be joined by the Chaldean patriarch. These eastern cardinal-bishops, while equal in rank to the others, receive no suburbicarian see and do not participate in the election of dean and vice-dean (they are also unable to be elected themselves)***.

Over the centuries, but especially in the last decades, the College of Cardinals has continuously grown in size. For example, about a century ago, the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XV consisted of 57 cardinals (a further 8 were unable to take part), while following today’s consistory, there will be 125 electors. This growth took part solely in the ranks of the cardinal-deacons and the cardinal-priests. The cardinal-bishops steadfastly remained limited to the holders of the suburbicarian sees. To remedy that, Pope Francis decided to select four cardinals to be elevated to the rank of cardinal-bishops. They keep their current title churches and duties, but it may be assumed that they are now first in line to be moved to a suburbicarian see when one falls vacant. The four new cardinal-bishops are full members of the highest section of the hierarchy in all respects, and can vote for and be elected as dean or vice-dean. Canons 350 and 352 of the Code of Canon Law limit this to the holders of the suburbicarian sees, but that limitation has been waived for the new cardinal-bishops.

For this honour, which is simultaneously an obligation, Pope Francis has selected four cardinals from three different countries, who all work in the Curia in Rome.

1. Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State, 63. Perhaps the most important rising star in Francis’ papacy. A trained diplomat, the erstwhile Nuncio to Venezuela was called to Rome in 2013 to succeed Cardinal Bertone as Secretary of State. In 2014 he was made a cardinal with the title of Santi Simone e Giuda Taddeo a Torre Angela, and was added to the Council of Cardinals, the C9, that assists the pope in reforming the Curia, about a year after that group was established.
2. Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, 74. Argentinean like the pope, Cardinal Sandri is also a diplomat, having served as Nuncio to Venezuela and Mexico before joining the Secretariat of State as Substitute for General Affairs in 2000. He became Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in 2007 and was made a cardinal in that same year. Last month, he was one of the cardinal-deacons who were promoted to cardinal-priests. He maintained is title of Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari, as he does with his elevation to cardinal-bishop.
3. Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, 74. Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in 2001 and 2002, the Canadian prelate returned home as archbishop of Québec, and was made a cardinal in 2003, with Santa Maria in Traspontina as his title church. Since 2010 he serves as prefect of the congregation which controls the appointing of bishops around the world.
4. Fernando Cardinal Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, 72. Like two of his three classmates a diplomat, having served as Nuncio in Jordan, Iraq and the Philippines. Like Cardinal Sandri, he also served as Substitute for General Affairs in the Secretariat of State, from 2007 to 2011. In that latter year he became Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, and was made a cardinal in 2012. He holds the title of Nostra Signora do Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio.

In paractice these changes mean that Cardinals Parolin, Sandri, Ouellet and Filoni are among the most significant collaborators of the pope, and when the time for a conclave comes, it will be Cardinal Parolin who will oversee the proceedings: he will take on those duties that Cardinal Sodano is unable to because of his age.

With these elevations and the creation of fourteen new cardinals today, the makeup of the entire College of Cardinals is listed below. In bold are those cardinals under the age of 80, who can vote in a conclave. Their duties and offices are summarised here. In many cases, especially for cardinals working in the curia, they have or had several functions. I have chosen to list only their most prominent or best-known roles.

Cardinal-Bishops

1. Angelo Cardinal Sodano: Dean of the College of Cardinals, Secretary of State emeritus
2. Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re: Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops
3. Roger Cardinal Etchegaray: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
4. Francis Cardinal Arinze: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
5. Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone: Secretary of State emeritus
6. José Cardinal Saraiva Martins: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
7. Pietro Cardinal Parolin: Secretary of State
8. Leonardo Cardinal Sandri: Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
9. Marc Cardinal Ouellet: Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
10. Fernando Cardinal Filoni: Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples
11. Nasrallah Pierre Cardinal Sfeir: Patriarch emeritus of Antioch (Maronite Rite)
12. Antonios Cardinal Naguib: Patriarch emeritus of Alexandria (Coptic Rite)
13. Béchara Pierre Cardinal Raï: Patriarch of Antioch (Maronite Rite)
14. Louis Raphaël I Cardinal Sako: Patriarch of Babylon (Chaldean Rite)

Cardinal-Priests

1. Michael Michai Cardinal Kitbunchu: Archbishop emeritus of Bangkok
2. Alexandre Cardinal do Nascimento: Archbishop emeritus of Luanda
3. Godfried Cardinal Danneels: Archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussel
4. Thomas Stafford Cardinal Williams: Archbishop emeritus of Wellington
5. Henryk Roman Cardinal Gulbinowicz: Archbishop emeritus of Wroclaw
6. Jozef Cardinal Tomko: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples
7. Paul Cardinal Poupard: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
8. Friedrich Cardinal Wetter: Archbishop emeritus of München und Freising
9. Adrianus Johannes Cardinal Simonis: Archbishop emeritus of Utrecht
10. Eduardo Cardinal Martínez Somalo: Prefect emeritus of the Consecration for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
11. Achille Cardinal Silvestrini: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
12. José Freire Cardinal Falcão: Archbishop emeritus of Brasília
13. Alexandre José María Cardinal dos Santos: Archbishop emeritus of Maputo
14. Christian Wiyghan Cardinal Tumi: Archbishop emeritus of Douala
15. Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
16. Nicolás de Jesús Cardinal López Rodríguez: Archbishop emeritus of Santo Domingo
17. Roger Michael Cardinal Mahony: Archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles
18. Camillo Cardinal Ruini: Vicar General emeritus for the Vicariate of Rome, Archpriest emeritus of S. John Lateran
19. Henri Cardinal Schwery: Bishop emeritus of Sion
20. Jaime Lucas Cardinal Ortega y Alamino: Archbishop emeritus of Havana
21. Julius Riyadi Cardinal Darmaatmadja: Archbishop emeritus of Jakarta
22. Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala: Archbishop emeritus of Kampala
23. Adam Joseph Cardinal Maida: Archbishop emeritus of Detroit
24. Vinko Cardinal Puljic: Archbihsop of Vrhbosna
25. Juan Cardinal Sandoval Íñiguez: Archbihsop emeritus of Guadalajara
26. Jorge Arturo Cardinal Medina Estévez: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
27. James Francis Cardinal Stafford: Archbishop emeritus of Denver
28. Salvatore Cardinal De Giorgi: Archbishop emeritus of Palermo
29. Serafim Fernandes Cardinal de Araújo: Archbishop emeritus of Belo Horizonte
30. Antonio María Cardinal Rouco Varela: Archbishop emeritus of Madrid
31. Polycarp Cardinal Pengo: Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam
32. Christoph Cardinal Schönborn: Archbishop of Vienna
33. Norberto Cardinal Rivera Carrera: Archbishop emeritus of Mexico
34. Marian Cardinal Jaworski: Archbishop emeritus of Lviv
35. Janis Cardinal Pujats: Archbishop emeritus of Riga
36. Agostino Cardinal Cacciavillan: President emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
37. Sergio Cardinal Sebastiani: President emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
38. Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski: Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
39. Crescenzio Cardinal Sepe: Archbishop of Naples
40. Walter Cardinal Kasper: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
41. Geraldo Majella Cardinal Agnelo: Archbishop emeritus of São Salvador de Bahia
42. Pedro Cardinal Rubiano Sáenz: Archbishop emeritus of Bogotá
43. Theodore Edgar Cardinal McCarrick: Archbishop emeritus of Washington
44. Audrys Juozas Cardinal Backis: Archbishop emeritus of Vilnius
45. Francisco Javier Cardinal Errázuriz Ossa: Archbishop emeritus of Santiago de Chile
46. Wilfrid Fox Cardinal Napier: Archbishop of Durban
47. Óscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga: Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and Coordinator of the Council of Cardinals
48. Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani Thorne: Archbishop of Lima
49. Francisco Cardinal Álvarez Martínez: Archbishop emeritus of Toledo
50. Cláudio Cardinal Hummes: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Clergy
51. Severino Cardinal Poletto: Archbishop emeritus of Torino
52. Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran: President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
53. Julián Cardinal Herranz Casado: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
54. Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragán: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers
55. Angelo Cardinal Scola: Archbishop emeritus of Milan
56. Anthony Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie: Archbishop emeritus of Lagos
57. Gabriel Cardinal Zubier Wako: Archbishop emeritus of Khartoum
58. Carlos Cardinal Amigo Vallejo: Archbihsop emeritus of Sevilla
59. Justin Francis Cardinal Rigali: Archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia
60. Eusébio Oscar Cardinal Scheid: Archbishop emeritus of Rio de Janeiro
61. Ennio Cardinal Antonelli: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Family
62. Peter Kodwo Appiah Cardinal Turkson: Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
63. Telesphore Placidus Cardinal Toppo: Archbishop emeritus of Ranchi
64. George Cardinal Pell: Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy
65. Josip Cardinal Bozanic: Archbishop of Zagreb
66. Jean-Baptise Cardinal Pham Minh Man: Archbishop emeritus of Ho Chi Minh City
67. Philipp Christian Igance Marie Cardinal Barbarin: Archbishop of Lyon
68. Péter Cardinal Erdö: Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest
69. William Joseph Cardinal Levada: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
70. Franc Cardinal Rode: Prefect emeritus of the Consecration for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
71. Agostino Cardinal Vallini: Pontifical Legate for the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi
72. Jorge Liberato Cardinal Urosa Savino: Archbishop of Caracas
73. Gaudencio Borbon Cardinal Rosales: Archbishop emeritus of Manila
74. Jean-Pierre Bernard Cardinal Ricard: Archbishop of Bordeaux
75. Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera: Archbishop of Valencia
76. Nicholas Cardinal Cheong Jin-suk: Archbishop emeritus of Seoul
77. Seán Patrick Cardinal O’Malley: Archbishop of Boston
78. Stanislaw Cardinal DziwiszArchbishop emeritus of Kraków
79. Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun: Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong
80. Albert Cardinal Vanhoye: Secretary emeritus of the Pontifical Biblical Commission
81. Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo: President emeritus of the Governorate of the Vatican City State and President emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State
82. Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
83. Angelo Cardinal Comastri: Archpriest of St. Peter and Vicar General for the Vatican City State
84. Stanislaw Cardinal Rylko: Archpries of St. Mary Major
85. Raffaele Cardinal Farina: Librarian emeritus of the Vatican Apostolic Library and Archivist emeritus of the Vatican Secret Archives
86. Seán Baptist Cardinal Brady: Archbishop emeritus of Armagh
87. Lluís Cardinal Martinez Sistach: Archbishop emeritus of Barcelona
88. André Armand Cardinal Vingt-Trois: Archbishop emeritus of Paris
89. Angelo Cardinal Bagnasco: Archbishop of Genova
90. Théodore-Adrien Cardinal Sarr: Archbishop emeritus of Dakar
91. Oswald Cardinal Gracias: Archbishop of Bombay
92. Francisco Cardinal Robles Ortega: Archbishop of Guadalajara
93. Daniel Nicholas Cardinal DiNardo: Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
94. Odilo Pedro Cardinal Scherer: Archbishop of São Paulo
95. John Cardinal Njue: Archbishop of Nairobi
96. Estanislao Esteban Cardinal Karlic: Archbishop emeritus of Paraná
97. Raúl Eduardo Cardinal Vela Chiriboga: Archbishop emeritus of Quito
98. Laurent Cardinal Monsengwo Pasinya: Archbishop of Kinshasa
99. Paolo Cardinal Romeo: Archbishop emeritus of Palermo
100. Donald William Cardinal Wuerl: Archbishop of Washington
101. Raymundo Damasceno Cardinal Assis: Archbishop emeritus of Aparecida
102. Kazimierz Cardinal Nycz: Archbishop of Warszawa
103. Albert Malcolm Ranjith Cardinal Patabendige Don: Archbishop of Colombo
104. Reinhard Cardinal Marx: Archbishop of München und Freising
105. José Manuel Cardinal Estepa Llaurens: Military Ordinary emeritus of Spain
106. George Cardinal Alencherry: Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly (Syro-Malabar Rite)
107. Thomas Christopher Cardinal Collins: Archbishop of Toronto
108. Dominik Cardinal Duka: Archbishop of Prague
109. Willem Jacobus Cardinal Eijk: Archbishop of Utrecht
110. Giuseppe Cardinal Betori: Archbishop of Firenze
111. Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan: Archbishop of New York
112. Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki: Archbishop of Köln
113. John Cardinal Tong Hon: Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong
114. Lucian Cardinal Muresan: Major Archbishop of Fagaras si Alba Iulia (Romanian Rite)
115. Baselios Cleemis Cardinal Thottunkal: Major Archbishop of Trivandrum (Syro-Malankar Rite)
116. John Olorunfemi Cardinal Onaiyekan: Archbishop of Abuja
117. Jesús Rubén Cardinal Salazar Gómez: Archbishop of Bogotá
118. Luis Antonio Gokim Cardinal Tagle: Archbishop of Manila
119. Vincent Gerard Cardinal Nichols: Archbishop of Westminster
120. Leopoldo José Cardinal Brenes Solórzano: Archbishop of Managua
121. Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix: Archbishop of Québec
122. Jean-Pierre Cardinal Kutwa: Archbishop of Abidjan
123. Orani João Cardinal Tempesta: Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro
124. Gualtiero Cardinal Bassetti: Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve
125. Mario Aurelio Cardinal Poli: Archbishop of Buenos Aires
126. Andrew Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung: Archbishop of Seoul
127. Ricardo Cardinal Ezzati Andrello: Archbishop of Santiago de Chile
128. Philippe Nakellentuba Cardinal Ouédraogo: Archbishop of Ouagadougou
129. Orlando Beltran Cardinal Quevedo: Archbishop of Cotabato
130. Chibly Cardinal Langlois: Bishop of Les Cayes
131. Fernando Cardinal Sebastián Aguilar: Archbishop emeritus of Pamplona y Tudela
132. Kelvin Edward Cardinal Felix: Archbishop emeritus of Castries
133. Manuel José Cardinal Macário do Nascimento Clemente: Patriarch of Lissabon
134. Berhaneyesus Demerew Cardinal Souraphiel: Metropolitan of Addis Abeba (Ethiopic Rite)
135. John Atcherley Cardinal Dew: Archbishop of Wellington
136. Edoardo Cardinal Menichelli: Archbishop emeritus of Ancona-Osimo
137. Pierre Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon: Archbishop of Hanoi
138. Alberto Cardinal Suárez Inda: Archbishop emeritus of Morelia
139. Charles Maung Cardinal Bo: Archbishop of Yangon
140. Francis Xavier Kriengsak Cardinal Kovithavanij: Archbishop of Bangkok
141. Francesco Cardinal Montenegro: Archbishop of Agrigento
142. Daniel Fernando Cardinal Sturla Berhouet: Archbishop of Montevideo
143. Ricardo Cardinal Blázquez Pérez: Archbishop of Valladolid
144. José Luis Cardinal Lacunza Maestrojuán: Bishop of David
145. Arlindo Cardinal Gomes Furtado: Bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde
146. Soane Patita Cardinal Mafi: Bishop of Tonga
147. José de Jesús Cardinal Pimiento Rodriguez: Archbishop emeritus of Manizales
148. Luis Héctor Cardinal Villalba: Archbishop emeritus of Tucumán
149. Júlio Duarte Cardinal Langa: Bishop emeritus of Xai-Xai
150. Dieudonné Cardinal Nzapalainga: Archbishop of Bangui
151. Carlos Cardinal Osoro Sierra: Archbishop of Madrid
152. Sérgio Cardinal da Rocha: Archbishop of Brasília
153. Blase Joseph Cardinal Cupich: Archbishop of Chicago
154. Patrick Cardinal D’Rozario: Archbishop of Dhaka
155. Baltazar Enrique Cardinal Porras Cardozo: Archbishop of Mérida
156. Jozef Cardinal De Kesel: Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel
157. Maurice Cardinal Piat: Bishop of Port-Louis
158. Carlos Cardinal Aguiar Retes: Archbishop of Mexico
159. John Cardinal Ribat: Archbishop of Port Moresby
160. Joseph William Cardinal Tobin: Archbishop of Newark
161. Anthony Soter Cardinal Fernandez: Archbishop emeritus of Kuala Lumpur
162. Renato Cardinal Corti: Bishop emeritus of Novara
163. Sebastian Koto Cardinal Khoarai: Bishop emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek
164. Jean Cardinal Zerbo: Archbishop of Bamako
165. Juan José Cardinal Omella Omella: Archbishop of Barcelona
166. Anders Cardinal Arborelius: Bishop of Stockholm
167. Lousi-Marie Cardinal Ling Mangkhanekhoun: Vicar Apostolic of Vientiane
168. Gregorio Cardinal Rosa Chávez: Auxiliary Bishop of San Salvador
169. Joseph Cardinal Coutts: Archbishop of Karachi
170. António Augusto Cardinal dos Santos Marto: Bishop of Leiria-Fátima
171. Pedro Ricardo Cardinal Barreto Jimeno: Archbishop of Huancayo
172. Désiré Cardinal Tsarahazana: Archbishop of Toamasina
173. Giuseppe Cardinal Petrocchi: Archbishop of L’Aquila
174. Thomas Aquino Manyo Cardinal Maeda: Archbishop of Osaka
175. Sergio Cardinal Obeso Rivera: Archbishop emeritus of Jalapa
176. Toribio Cardinal Ticona Porco: Prelate emeritus of Corocoro

Cardinal-Deacons

1. Renato Cardinal Martino: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
2. Angelo Cardinal Amato: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
3. Robert Cardinal Sarah: Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
4. Francesco Cardinal Monterisi: Archpriest emeritus of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls
5. Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke: Patron of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
6. Kurt Cardinal Koch: President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
7. Paolo Cardinal Sardi: Patron emeritus of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
8. Mauro Cardinal Piacenza: Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary
9. Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi: President of the Pontifical Council for Culture
10. Elio Cardinal Sgreccia: President emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life
11. Walter Cardinal Brandmüller: President emeritus of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences
12. Manuel Cardinal Monteiro de Castro: Major Penitentiary emeritus of the Apostolic Penitentiary
13. Santos Cardinal Abril y Castelló: Archpriest emeritus of St. Mary Major
14. Antonio Maria Cardinal Vegliò: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
15. Giuseppe Cardinal Bertello: President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State
16. Francesco Cardinal Coccopalmerio: President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
17. João Cardinal Bráz de Aviz: Prefect of the Consecration for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
18. Edwin Frederick Cardinal O’Brien: Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepuclhre of Jerusalem
19. Domenico Cardinal Calcagno: President emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
20. Giuseppe Cardinal Versaldi: Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
21. Prosper Cardinal Grech: Priest of the Archdiocese of Malta
22. James Michael Cardinal Harvey: Archpriest of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls
23. Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri: Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops
24. Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller: Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
25. Beniamino Cardinal Stella: Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy
26. Dominique Francois Joseph Cardinal Mamberti: Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
27. Luigi Cardinal De Magistris: Major Pro-Penitentiary emeritus
28. Karl-Josef Cardinal Rauber: Apostolic Nuncio emeritus to Belgium and Luxembourg
29. Mario Cardinal Zenari: Apostolic Nuncio to Syria
30. Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell: Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
31. Ernest Cardinal Simoni: Priest of the Diocese of Shkodrë-Pult
32. Luis Francisco Cardinal Ladaria Ferrer: Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
33. Angelo Cardinal De Donatis: Archpriest of St. John Lateran and Vicar General for the Vicariate of Rome
34. Giovanni Angelo Cardinal Becciu: Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
35. Konrad Cardinal Krajewski: Almoner of His Holiness
36. Aquilino Cardinal Bocos Merino: Superior General emeritus of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

*Over time, there have been some mergers and splits among these seven sees, but today they are: Albano, Frascati, Ostia, Palestrina, Porto-Santa Rufina, Sabina-Poggio Mirteto and Velletri-Segni.

*The title of Ostia is given to the Dean in addition to his own titular diocese. It has no bishop of its own and it is governed by the vicar-general for the Vicariate of Rome, currently Archbishop Angelo De Donatis, who himself will be made a cardinal today.

***This may be one of the reasons for today’s changes. If a conclave were to be held now, its proceedings would be overseen by Maronite Patriarch Béchara Cardinal Raï, himself not a Roman prelate. This would be so because the dean, at 90, is too old to participate in a conclave and his duties would then automatically fall to the senior cardinal-bishop who is also an elector. Cardinal Raï is the sole elector among the cardinal-bishops today.

Photo credit: [2] Alessia GIULIANI/CPP/CIRIC, [4] CNS/Paul Haring, [5] AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

 

For Hildesheim, the new bishop comes from Rome

What’s it like for a priest to be told that the Pope wants him to be a bishop? The newly-appointed bishop of Hildesheim, Fr. Heiner Wilmer SCJ tells his story:

“On Monday afternoon, 5 March, I was in Manchester (Stockport), on an official pastoral visit to my fellow brothers. On the evening before I had extensively spoken with the Sacred Heart priests (Dehonians) about the young Friedrich Engels and the suffering of the workers in the Manchester textile mills, as well as the successes of football club Manchester United. I had had a good breakfast that morning, and the short homily I had prepared about the Syrian Naaman, from the second book of Kings, was also ready for the 9:30 Mass. I wanted to speak about the God of surprises and that things could turn out different from what one expects.

There was a note with a strange phone number from Germany on my desk, with a cryptic name, half-Italian, half-German. “Signore Heinz-Guntr asks you to ring him back”. At first I wanted to leave it, as I dislike ringing back strange numbers without reasonable names. But then I thought, let’s just call back quickly, and have it done with. And then everything changed completely.

On the other end of the line was auxiliary Bishop Heinz-Günter Bongartz. Even though I had not met him before, his northern German tongue was immediately familiar to me. After a brief introduction he came to the point: “Dear Father Wilmer! The cathedral chapter of Hildesheim has elected you as new bishop. The Holy Father sent us your name in a list of three. We ask you to accept the election.” – “What? Just a moment. This can’t be true. I am a man of the Order. Three years ago I was elected as superior general of our order. I promised the brothers to give my best for the next six years…” Oh well, a lot could be said about this. In short: I told him that I needed time. I didn’t understand any of it. I let Monday pass, and Tuesday as well.

On Wednesday morning, at five a.m., I wrote a letter to Pope Francis. I was in Dublin by then. Also on a pastoral visit. I wrote the Pope that the Diocese of Hildesheim’s trust in me moved me, but that it troubled me to have to leave my brothers during my time in office. I also asked for his paternal counsel. In the course of the afternoon I sent the letter to the Congregation for Bishops. There they told me that Cardinal Ouellet would personally give it to Pope Francis in three days, and that I could expect a response in five to seven days.

But the Holy Father also surprised me. On the same Wednesday, only a few hours later, he rang me on my mobile. He understood my conflict of conscience. He said. “I know your community. I will not pressure you. Pray to your founder Father Dehon. Go to the chapel. Have Adoration, which is so important in your community and think of the brothers in your order who were bold and courageous in the past.” So I did. I understood. Late that evening I rang Bishop Bongartz and agreed.”

The appointment of Bishop-elect Heiner Wilmer was announced at noon today. He succeeds Bishop Norbert Trelle, who led the Diocese of Hildesheim for 12 years until his retirement in September of last year. In a rare occurance, the choice did not fall on a priest or bishop from Hildesheim or one of the other German dioceses. The new bishop, although a native German, comes to Hildesheim from Rome, where he worked as Superior General of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, also known, after their founder, as the Dehonians. This order is focussed on working for the poor and the young, using “education, social work, missions, spirituality and media to announce the kingdom of God.” They live in communities where Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament plays an important part.

Heiner Wilmer was born on April 9 1961 (his appointment comes three days before his 57th birthday) in Schapen, a town of some 2,000 inhabitans in the Emsland, Diocese of Osnabrück, which borders Hildesheim to the west. In 1980, Wilmer entered the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, spending his novitiate in Freiburg im Breisgau. He made his permanent vows in 1985. Preparing for his ordination to the priesthood in 1987, he studied theology in Freiburg and Romanistics in Paris, receiving his pastoral formation in St. Peter’s seminary in Schwarzwald. As a priest, Fr. Heiner remained devotied to his studies. He studied French philosophy in Rome from 1987 to 1989, received a promotion in fundamental theology in Freiburg in  1991, studied history there from 1991 to 1993, concluding it with his first state exam in history and theology. From 1993 to 1995 he worked as a teacher in training at the Windthorst Gymnasium in Meppen. After his second state exam, he was a full-fledged teacher at the Liebfrauenschule in Vechta. In 1997 and 1998, Fr. Heiner worked as a teacher of German and history at the Fordham Preparatory School of the Jesuit High School in the Bronx, New York. From 1998 to 2007 he led the Gymnasium Leoninum in Handrup, a private Catholic school run by the Dehonians. In the latter year he was appointed as provincial of the German province of his order, seated in Bonn, and in 2015 he was elected as Superior General of the Dehonians, relocating to Rome. Hildesheim’s 71st bishop is a man of learning, and of the world.

Despite his travels, the Diocese of Hildesheim is largely new territory for Bishop-elect Wilmer, although he visited it when he was head of the Handrup school, visiting schools in Hannover and other places. His last visit was in the summer of 2017, when he spent his holiday in Celle, northeast of Hannover. “I remember best having ice cream in the shadow of Wienhausen Monastery, despite the rain.”

Asked what he will bring to Hildesheim, the bishop-elect says:

“An open ear. That is the most important to me. I want to listen, to understand, to enquire. The old tradition of the “Sh’ma Israel” (Hear, Israel!) has characterised my religious life from the beginning.

[…]

Central to me is the adoration of the Heart of Jesus and through that the devotion to a God who became man. Hence it is important to me that every person comes into himself, becomes fully himself. Daily Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, time for silence and contemplation characterise my daily rhythm and keep me from chaos and activism.”

From his time in Rome, where he lived with 61 from 20 countries he brings a confidence in the other and an eye for strangers in a strange land.

“And what also formed me as a northern German in Rome is the Italian “serenità”: a cheerful serenity and a serene cheerfulness. A northern German comes from the south. One who is confident that God goes with him!”

Bishop-elect Wilmer will be the fourth German bishop who is a member of a religious order. He joins Bishops Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstatt and Dominicus Meier, auxiliary of Paderborn, who are both Benedictines, and Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau, a Salesian.

The consecration and installation of the new bishop will probably take place in September, but an exact date is yet to be announced.

With today’s appointment, all vacant dioceses in Germany are filled again. But this is not a situation that is not likely to last long. In Fulda, Bishop Heinz Josef Algermissen turned 75 in February, and his already sent his resignation to Rome.

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Learning how to bishop – Bishop Oster in Rome

Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau shares the photo below on his Facebook page. Germany’s youngest ordinary met Pope emeritus Benedict XVI and Archbishop Georg Gänswein over lunch yesterday and brings back the retired pontiff’s heartfelt greetings and promises of prayer to Passau, the diocese in which Benedict was born in 1927.

Bishop Oster is in Rome as part of the annual “training course” for new bishops who were appointed in the past year. With him from Germany are Archbishop Stephan Burger and Bishop Michael Gerber from Freiburg, Bishop Ansgar Puff from Cologne, and Bishop Herwig Gössl from Bamberg (pictured below while attending one of the seminars earlier this week).

The training week is organised by Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s  Congregation for Bishops, and is attended by some 130 bishops from across the globe. Various cardinals and other Curia members offered seminars on such topics as the Church’s social teaching (Cardinal Turkson), the spirituality of bishops (Cardinal Amato) and the workings of the Synod of Bishops (Cardinal Baldisseri), the reforms of the Curia (Cardinal Ouellet), and finances (Cardinal Pell), but they also heard the sobering stories of bishops from Iraq and Syria. The ten days of the training is, as Bishop Oster says, also a time of reflection, prayer and community and will be closed tomorrow with an audience with Pope Francis.

Enter the Synod members

Yesterday the Holy See published the list of participants in the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the family. Of course, there are the usual suspects: the heads of the Roman Curia departments, the standing members of the Synod and the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences, with the latter being default participants in an Extraordinary General Synod, which this one is. Pope Francis has had a personal touch in the selection of several participants; noteable among those are Cardinal Kasper, to all appearances a theologian much appreciated by the Holy Father, but also the vast majority of cardinals he created in his first consistory of last February.

A breakdown per country also shows Pope Francis’ fairly strong focus on both the southern half of the globe and the Middle East. When looking at the members personally appointed by the Pope, as well as the lay and professional participants and auditors, we see that, while 35 participants come from Europe (19 of whom are based in Rome or other parts of Italy), 15 participants come from Asia (5 of them from the Middle East), 12 from Central and South America, 9 from Africa, 4 from Oceania and 4 from North America. Add to those the bishops’ conference presidents and not least the fact that two of the three President Delegates come from outside Europe, and you get a distinct non-western picture.

From a local point of view it is interesting to see that no less than four participants come from Belgium, while there is only a single one from the Netherlands and a mere two from Germany. Belgium sends Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard,which was expected as he is the president of the Belgian bishops’ conference, but also his predecessor, Cardinal Godfried Danneels (pictured), as well as Father George Henri Ruyssen of the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Additionaly, Metropolitan Athenagoras, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgium, attends as a “fraternal delegate”.

From the Netherlands comes the archbishop of Utrecht, Cardinal Wim Eijk, as the president of our bishops’ conference, and Germany sends Cardinal Reinhard Marx, not a stranger in Rome, and Berlin’s Professor Ute Eberl.

And of course the list has been criticised, not least today by Fr. Thomas Reese. His argument that the presence of heads of the Curia is a bad thing, and an indication that Pope Francis’ intentions of overhauling and streamlining the workings of the Curia is doomed to fail, is plainly ludicrous. He argues that the prefects and presidents of the Curia are merely staff members and not policy makers, and should therefore be merely attending, not speaking or voting in the Synod, which is an extreme oversimplification. By that reasoning the presidents of the bishops’ conferences should not be there as participants either. The members of the Roman Curia are the closest collaborators of the Pope. They meet with him on a weekly basis and he is generally kept up to date on whatever is going on in the various department. But the Pope is one man, so the prefects and presidents not only have the leeway to make their own decisions, that is also their mandate. They are also not random clerics appointed on a whim, but experienced in their own field of work. They are far more than staff. Their experience, knowledge and mandate are enough to give them not only the right and duty to attend the Synod, but also to contribute and decide. Cricitism like that of Fr. Reese seems mostly motivated by a deeply ingrained fear and mistrust of the Curia, which has created an artifical opposition between individual faithful and the institutional Church.

Anyway, the Synod is still a couple of weeks away. Let’s give it the chance it deserves and not let it die a quiet death once the delegates have returned home.

Below is the full list of participants, as published yesterday:

PRESIDENT

• Pope Francis

GENERAL SECRETARY

• Lorenzo Cardinal Baldiserri

PRESIDENT DELEGATES

• André Cardinal Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, France
• Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines
• Raymunda Damasceno Cardinal Assis, Archbishop of Aparecida, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Brazil

RELATOR GENERAL

• Péter Cardinal Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Hungary, President of the Concilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae (CCEE).

SPECIAL SECRETARY

• Archbishop Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, Italy

PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION FOR THE MESSAGE

• Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION FOR THE MESSAGE

• Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina

SYNOD FATHERS FROM THE ORIENTAL CHURCHES

• Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, President of the Synod of the Catholic Coptic Church
• Patriarch Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, President of the Synod the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church
• Patrirach Ignace Youssif III Younan, Patrirach of Antioch of the Syrians, President of the Syriac Catholic Church
• Patriarch Béchara Boutros Cardinal Raï, Patrirach of Antioch of the Maronites, President of the Synod of the Maronite Church
• Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, President of the Synod of the Chaldean Church
• Patriarch Nersos Bedros XIX  Tarmouni, Patrirach of Cilicia of the Armenians, President of the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church
• Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc, President of the Synod of the Ukrainian Catholic Church
• Major Archbishop George Cardinal Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, President of the Syro-Malabar Church
• Major Archbishop Baselios Cleemis Cardinal Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum, President of the Synod of the Syro-Malankarese Church
• Major Archbishop Lucian Cardinal Muresan, Major Archbishop of Făgăras şi Alba Iulia, President of the Synod of the Romanian Church
• Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, Archbishop of Addis Abeba of the Ethiopics, President of the Council of the Ethiopian Church, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia and Eritrea
• Archbishop William Charles Skurla, Archbishop of Pittsburgh of the Ruthenians, President of the Council of the Ruthenian Church in the United States of America
• Archbishop Ján Babjak, Archbishop of Presov of the Slovaks, President of the Council of the Slovak Church

PRESIDENT OF THE BISHOPS’ CONFERENCES

• Bishop Benoît Comlan Messan Alowonou, Bishop of Kpalimé, Togo
• Bishop Oscar Omar Aparicio Céspedes, Military Ordinary of Bolivia
• Archbishop José María Arancedo, Archbishop of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Argentina
• Bishop Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, Sweden
• Raymundo Damasceno Cardinal Assis, Archbishop of Aparecido, Brazil (see also above)
• Angelo Cardinal Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genova, Italy
• Bishop Gervaise Banshimiyubusa, Bishop of Ngozi, Burundi
• Bishop Michael Dixon Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo, Zimbabwe
• Archbishop Ricardo Blázquez Pérez, Archbishop of Valladolid, Spain
• Bishop Anthony Fallah Borwah, Bishop of Gbarnga, Liberia
• Bishop Jean-Claude Bouchard, Bishop of Pala, Chad
• Josip Cardinal Bozanic, Archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia
• Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa
• Bishop Markus Büchel, Bishop of Sankt Gallen, Switzerland
• Archbishop Paul Bùi Van Doc, Archbishop of Thành-Phô Hô Chí Minh, Vietnam
• Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga, Archbishop of Tunja, Colombia
• Archbishop Ignatius Chama, Archbishop of Kasama, Zambia
• Archbishop Louis Chamniern Santisukniran, Archbishop of Thare and Nonseng, Thailand
• Archbishop Joseph Coutts, Archbishop of Karachi, Pakistan
• Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, Archbishop of Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Archbishop John Atcherley Dew, Archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand
• Bishop Nicolas Djomo Lola, Bishop of Tshumbe, Congo-Kinshasa
• Bishop Basílio do Nascimento, Bishop of Baucau, Timor-Leste
• Archbishop Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau, Canada
• Willem Jacobus Cardinal Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands
• Péter Cardinal Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary (see also above)
• Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador
• Ricardo Cardinal Ezzati Andrello, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile
• Bishop Emmanuel Félémou, Bishop of Kankan, Guinea
• Bishop Oscar Gerardo Fernández Guillén, Bishop of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
• Archbishop Ruggero Franceschini, Archbishop of Izmir, Turkey
• Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, Archbishop of Poznan, Poland
• Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo García Ibáñez, Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
• Archbishop Zef Gashi, Archbishop of Bar, Montenegro
• Bishop Catalino Claudio Giménez Medina, Bishop of Caacupé, Paraguay
• Bishop Andrej Glavan, Bishop of Novo Mesto, Slovenia
• Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves, Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
• Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, India
• Archbishop Jan Graubner, Archbishop of Olomouc, Czech Republic
• Bishop Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo, Malta
• Archbishop John Ha Tiong Hock, Archbishop of Kuching, Malaysia
• Archbishop Denis James Hart, Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia
• Bishop Eugène Cyrille Houndékon, Bishop of Abomey, Benin
• Archbishop John Hung Shan-Chuan, Archbishop of Taipei, Taiwan
• Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria
• Bishop Peter Kang U-Il, Bishop of Cheju, South Korea
• Archbishop Samuel Kleda, Archbishop of Douala, Cameroon
• Bishop Franjo Komarica, Bishop of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Archbisop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev, Belarus
• Bishop Patrick Daniel Koroma, Bishop of Kenema, Sierra Leone
• Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz, Archbishop of Louisville, United States of America
• Archbishop Vincent Landèl, Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco
• Chibly Cardinal Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes, Haiti
• Bishop Mathieu Madega Lebouakehan, Bishop of Mouila, Gabon
• Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium
• Archbishop Gerard Tlali Lerotholi, Archbishop of Maseru, Lesotho
• Bishop Felix Lian Khen Thang, Bishop of Kalay, Myanmar
• Patriarch José Macário do Nascimento Clemente, Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal
• Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi, Bishop of Tonga, Tonga
• Bishop Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, Vicar Apostolic of Paksé, Laos
• Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland
• Reinhard Cardinal Marx, Archbishop of München und Freising, Germany
• Archbishop Angelo Massafra, Archbishop of Shkodrë-Pult, Albania
• Bishop Juan Matogo Oyana, Bishop of Bata, Equatorial Guinea
• Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi, Arcbishop of Lubango, Angola
• Bishop Smaragde Mbonyintege, Bishop of Kabgayi, Rwanda
• Archbishop Thomas Meram, Archbishop of Urmya, Iran
• Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine
• Bishop Lúcio Andrice Muandula, Bishop of Xai-Xai, Mozambique
• Archbishop Liborius Ndumbukuti Nashenda, Archbishop of Windhoek, Namibia
• Bishop Benjamin Ndiaye, Bishop of Kaolack, Senegal
• Bishop Tarcisius J.M. Ngalalekumtwa, Bishop of Iringa, Tanzania
• Vincent Gerard Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, United Kingdom
• John Cardinal Njue, Archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya
• Bishop Rimantas Norvila, Bishop of Vilkaviskis, Lithuania
• Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui, Central African Republic
• Archbishop John Baptist Odama, Archbishop of Gulu, Uganda
• Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada, Archbishop of Tokyo, Japan
• Bishop Arnold Orowae, Bishop of Wabag, Papua New Guinea
• Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu, Bishop of Konongo-Mampong, Ghana
• Archbishop Paul Yembuado Ouédraogo, Archbishop of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
• Archbishop Diego R. Padrón Sánchez, Archbishop of Cumaná, Venezuela
• Bishop Franghískos Papamanólis, Bishop of Syros and Santorini, Greece
• Albert Malcolm Ranjith Cardinal Patabendige Don, Archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Bishop Gregorio Nicanor Peña Rodríguez, Bishop of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey, Dominican Republic
• Archbishop Tomasz Peta, Archbishop of Mary Most Holy in Astana, Kazakhstan
• Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, Archbishop of Mother of God at Moscow, Russia
• Bishop Maurice Piat, Bishop of Port-Louis, Seychelles
• Archbishop Patrick Christopher Pinder, Archbishop of Nassau, Bahamas
• Archbishop Salvador Piñeiro García-Calderón, Archbishop of Ayacucho, Peru
• Archbishop Georges Pontier, Archbishop of Marseille, France
• Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu, Bishop of Kinkala, Congo-Brazzaville
• Bishop Christo Proykov, Apostolic Exarch of Sofia of the Bulgarians, Bulgaria
• Francisco Cardinal Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico
• Archbishop Ioan Robu, Archbishop of Bucharest, Romania
• Óscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras
• Bishop Sócrates René Sándigo Jirón, Bishop of Juigalpa, Nicaragua
• Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Wien, Austria
• Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, Archbishop of Addis Abeba of the Ethiopics, Ethiopia (see also above)
• Archbishop Zbignev Stankevics, Archbishop of Riga, Latvia
• Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta, Indonesia
• Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, Archbishop of Glasgow, United Kingdom
• Bishop Jean-Baptiste Tiama, Bishop of Sikasso, Mali
• Archbishop Alexis Touabli Youlo, Archbishop of Agboville, Côte d’Ivoire
• Archbishop Fausto Gabriel Trávez Trávez, Archbishop of Quito, Ecuador
• Archbishop Désiré Tsarahazana, Archbishop of Taomasina, Madagascar
• Patriarch Fouad Twal, Patriarch of Jerusalem
• Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, Archbishop of Panamá, Panama
• Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez, Bishop of Vera Paz, Guatemala
• Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, Philippines
• Bishop Rodolfo Pedro Wirz Kraemer, Bishop of Maldonado-Punta del Este, Uruguay
• Gabriel Cardinal Zubeir Wako, Archbishop of Khartoum, Sudan
• Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza, Bishop of Mzuzu, Malawi
• Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský, Archbishop of Bratislava, Slovakia

ELECTED BY THE UNION OF SUPERIORS GENERAL

• Father Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, Superior General of the Society of Jesus
• Father Mauro Jöhri, Minister General of the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor
• Father Mario Alegani, Superior General of the Congregation of Saint Joseph

HEADS OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE ROMAN CURIA

• Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State
• Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Leonardo Cardinal Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
• Angelo Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
• Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
• Fernando Cardinal Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples
• Beniamino Cardinal Stella, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
• João Cardinal Bráz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
• Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
• Mauro Cardinal Piacenza, Major Penitentiary
• Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
• Stanislaw Cardinal Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity
• Kurt Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
• Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
• Peter Kodwo Appiah Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
• Robert Cardinal Sarah, President of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
• Antonio Maria Cardinal Vegliò, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
• Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, President of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers
• Francesco Cardinal Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
• Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
• Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture (see also above)
• Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications
• Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation
• Domenico Cardinal Calcagno, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
• Giuseppe Cardinal Versaldi, President of the Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See

MEMBERS OF THE ORDINARY COUNCIL

• Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, United States of America
• Péter Cardinal Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary (see also above)
• Archbishop Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, Italy (see also above)
• Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, India (see also above)
• Laurent Cardinal Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo-Kinshasa
• Wilfrid Fox Cardinal Napier, Archbishop of Durban, South Africa
• George Cardinal Pell, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy
• Odilo Pedro Cardinal Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil
• Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Wien, Austria (see above)
• Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc, Ukraine (see also above)
• Bishop Santiago Jaime Silva Retamalas, Auxiliary Bishop of Valparaíso, Chile, Secretary General of the Episcopal Council of Latin America (CELAM)
• Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines (see also above)
• Donald William Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, United States of America
• Peter Kodwo Appiah Cardinal Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (see also above)
• Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation (see also above)

MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE POPE

• Angelo Cardinal Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals
• Godfried Cardinal Danneels, Archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium
• Walter Cardinal Kasper, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
• Angelo Cardinal Scola, Archbishop of Milan, Italy
• Carlo Cardinal Caffarra, Archbishop of Bologna, Italy
• Lluís Cardinal Martínez Sistach, Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain
• André Cardinal Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, France (see also above)
• Jonh Cardinal Tong Hon, Bishop of Hong Kong, China
• Orani João Cardinal Tempesta, Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Adrew Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop of Seoul, South Korea
• Philippe Nakellentuba Cardinal Ouédraogo, Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
• Fernando Cardinal Sebastián Aguilar, Archbishop emeritus of Pamplona y Tudela, Spain
• Elio Cardinal Sgreccia, President emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life
• Giuseppe Cardinal Bertello, President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State
• Archbishop Giovanni Tonucci, Archbishop of Loreto, Italy
• Archbishop Edoardo Menichelli, Archbishop Anciona-Osimo, Italy
• Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of Tlalnepatla, Mexico, President of the Episcopal Council of Latin America (CELAM)
• Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of Delhi, India
• Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (see also above)
• Bishop Alonso Gerardo Garza Treviño, Bishop of Piedras Negras, Mexico
• Bishop Edgard Amine Madi, Bishop of Nossa Senhora do Líbano em São Paulo of the Maronites, Brazil
• Bishop Enrico Solmi, Bishop of Parma, Italy, President of the Commission for Life and Family in the Italian Bishops’ Conference
• Monsignor Pio Vito Pinto, Dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota
• Father Francois-Xavier Dumortier, Rector Magnificus of the Pontifical University Gregoriana
• Father Antonio Spadaro, Editor of the magazine “La Civiltà Cattolica”
• Father Manuel Jesús Arroba Conde, Professor of Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University

UNDERSECRETARY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS

• Bishop Fabio Fabene

LIST OF OTHER PARTICIPANTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TITLES

• Fr. Tony Anatrella, psycho-analist. Specialist in social psychiatry. Consultor to the Pontifical Councils for the Family and for Health Care Workers. France.
• Fr. Gérard Berliet, professor of Sacred Scripture at the provincial seminary in Lyon. Head of pastoral care for divorced and remarried faithful in the Archdiocese of Lyon, France.
• Fr. Bruno Esposito, professor of Canon Law at the Pontifical University St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome.
• Fr. Alfonso Fernández Benito, professor of Moral Theology and the Sacrament of Marriage at the Hugher Institute of Theological Studies “San Ildefonso”, director of the Institute for Religious Sciences Santa Maria di Toledo, Spain.
• Fr. Arul Raj Gali, National Director of “Holy Cross Family Ministries in India”.
• Dr. Jeffrey Goh, professor of Systematic Theology at the archdiocesan seminary and judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Kuching, Malaysia.
• Fr. Maurizio Gronchi, professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University Urbaniana in Rome, consultor for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
• Dr. Rodrigo Guerra López, general director of the Centre for Advanced Social Research, Mexico.
• Dr. Jocelyne Khoueiry, member of the Episcopal Commission for the Family of the APECL, Lebanon.
• Dr. Helen Kyung Soo Kwon, member of the executive committee of the “Helen Kim Scholarship Foundation at Ewha Womans University”, South Korea.
• Fr. Sabatino Majorano, professor of Systemic Moral Theology at the Alphonsianum, Italy.
• Mr. Christopher Laurence Meney, director of the Center for life, marriage and family of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia.
• Professor Giuseppina de Simone, extraordinary professor of philosophy at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy in Naples. Married to ∨
• Professor Francesco Miano, professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, president of Catholic Action, Italy. Married to ^
• Professor Carmen Peña García, director of Especialista en Causas Matrimoniales, professor at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Comillas Pontifical University, Defender of the Bond and Promotor of Justice at the Metropolitan Court of Madrid, Spain.
• Fr. George Henri Ruyssen, professor at the Faculty of Oriental Canon Law of the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Belgium.

AUDITORS

•  Mr. Arturo and Mrs. Hermelinda As Zamberline, officials of the ‘Equipe Notre Dame” in Brazil.
• Mr. Riyadh Albeer Naoom Azzo and Mrs. Sanaa Namir Ibrahim Habeeb, witnessing of Christian family life in a Muslim environment, Iraq.
• Mr. León Botolo and Mrs. Marie Valentine Kisanga Sosawe, founders of Communauté Famille Chrétienne, Congo-Kinshasa.
• Professor Zelmira María Bottini de Rey, director of the Institute for Couples and Family of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, president of the Latin-America Network of the Institute of the Family of the Catholic Universities, Argentina.
• Mr. George Campos, director of Couples for Christ, Philippines. Married to ∨
• Mrs. Cynthia Campos, member of Couples for Christ, Philippines. Married to ^
• Mr. Inácio Amândio Chaúque, educator of young couples, Mozambique.
• Mrs. Joan Clements, director of the executive committe of the World Organisation Ovulation Method Billings (WOOMB), Australia.
• Mr. Stephen and Mrs. Sandra Conway, regional officers for Africa of Retrouvailles, South Africa.
• Dr. Ute Eberl, responsible for pastoral care for marriage and family in the Archdiocese of Berlin, Germany.
• Mrs. Pilar Escudero de Jensen, member of the vicariate general of the Archdiocese of Santiago, Chile, member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, member of the Family Institute of Schönstatt, Chile. Married to ∨
• Mr. Luis Jensen Acuña, member of the Bioethics Centre of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, member of the Family Institute of Schönstatt, Chile. Married to ^
• Dr. Jean Dieudonné Gatsinga and Mrs. Emerthe Gatsinga Tumuhayimpundu, repsonsible for young families of the Focolare movement in Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda.
• Mr. Jeffrey Heinzen, director of Natural Family Planing of the Diocese of La Crosse, United States of America. Married to ∨
• Mrs. Alice Heinzen, member of the Natural Family Planning Advisory Board of the Diocese of La Crosse, United States of America. Married to ^
• Dr. Ilva Myriam Hoyos Castañeda, prosecutor delegate for the defense of the rights of children, youth and family, Colombia.
• Mr. Sélim and Mrs. Rita Khoury, leading the Office for Pastoral Care for Families of the Patriarchal Curia of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon.
• Mrs. María Lacalle Noriega, director of the Centre of the Study of the family (Inst. Investigaciones económicas y sociales Francisco de Vitoria), secretary general of the Sociedad Española de bioética y biojurídica, Spain.
• Fr. Cajetan Menezes, director of the Family Apostolate in Bombay, India.
• Mr. Giuseppe Petracca Ciavarella and Mrs. Lucia Miglionico, medical doctors, members of the National Council for Pastoral Care of Families, Italy.
• Sister Margaret Muldoon, Superior General of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux, Ireland.
• Mr. Francisco Padilla, officer of the Couples for Christ Foundation for family and life movement, Philippines.
• Mr. Algirdas Petronis, vice president of the International Federation of Catholic Families, director of the Centre for the Family of the Archdiocese of Vilnius, Lithuania.
• Mr. Romano and Mrs. Mavis Pirola, directors of the Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council.
• Mr Olivier and Mrs. Xristilla Roussy, responsible for the apostolic branch of Amour et Vérité, France.
• Mr. Steve and Mrs. Claudia Schultz, members of the International Catholic Engaged Encounter, United States of America.
• Mrs. Michèle Taupin, preident of the movement Espérance et Vie, France.
• Mrs. Jeannette Touré, National president of the Association of Catholic Women in Côte d’Ivoire.

FRATERNAL DELEGATES

•  Archbishop Athenagoras, Metropolitan of Belgium. Ecumenic patriarchate.
• Archbishop Hilarion, President of Department of External Church Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow.
• Metropolitan Bishoy, Metropolitan of Damietta, Kafr Elsheikh and Elbarari, Egypt. Coptic Orthodox Church.
• Mar Yostinos, Archbishop of Zhale and Bekau, Lebanon. Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch.
• Bishop Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, England. Anglican Communion.
• Dr. Ndanganeni Petrus Phaswaha, Bishop-President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Africa. World Lutheran Federation.
• Dr. Benebo Fubara-Manuel, President of the Nigeria Communion of Reformed Churches. World Communion of Reformed Churches.
• Dr. Valérie Duval-Poujol, professor of Biblical Exegesis at the Catholic Institute of Paris, France. World Baptist Alliance.

Moving up – 6 Cardinal Deacons advance

In yesterday’s ordinary consistory, Pope Francis announced the ‘promotion’ of six cardinals. They were all cardinal deacons, created in Pope St. John Paul II’s last consistory on 21 October 2003. As that is ten years and a few months ago, these cardinals were up for a potential promotion from cardinal deacons to cardinal priests. Such a promotion has little effect on their day to day activities and duties, in part because four of the six are already retired, but mainly because it is largely ceremonial. They move up in precedence among their brother cardinals: as deacons they ranked under the cardinal priests, but they now move up according to the date the were created cardinals and the order in which they appeared on the list announcing the consistory.

And one cardinal loses a duty which put him in the world’s spotlight back in March of last year…

Cardinals Jean-Louis Tauran, Francesco Marchisano, Julián Herranz Casado, Javier Lozano Barragán, Attilio Nicora and Georges Cottier were just six of an impressive 30 cardinals that St. John Paul II created in what would be his final consistory. With Cardinal Renato Martino, who for some reason is not ‘promoted’, they were the most senior cardinal deacons in the College of Cardinals. With their appointments as cardinal priests, they come before such famous prelates as Cardinals Scola, Turkson, Pell and Ouellet, and also all cardinals created by Popes Benedict XVI and Francis (except for the cardinal-bishops and the eastern patriarchs made cardinals by the Pope emeritus).

The new cardinal priests keep their title churches, with the exception of Cardinal Lozano Barragán, who was cardinal deacon of San Michele Arcangelo, but is now cardinal priest of Santa Dorotea, a new cardinal title.

The biggest practical change comes with the promotion of Cardinal Tauran, who was the cardinal protodeacon, the most senior cardinal deacon. And as such it was his duty to announce the election and name of a new Pope, as he did in March of last year. The new protodeacon is the aforementioned Cardinal Renato Martino. But since he is 81, he will have no role in the proceedings of a future conclave (which should, admittedly, be still a long way off). Replacing him is Cardinal William Levada, and should we have a new Pope between now and two years, he will be the one announcing his name.

The appointments are also a sign of appreciation for their work done for the Church. Below are a few short overviews of the careers of the six new cardinal-priests:

Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran is 71, and was born in Bordeaux, France. From 1969 to 1990 he was a priest of the Archdiocese of Bordeaux (-Bazas), after which he was appointed as secretary in the department of the Secretariat of State that deals with the relations with other nations. From 2003 to 2007 he worked as archivist of the Vatican Secret Archives and librarian of the Vatican Library. In 2007 he took up his current office: President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, in which he is responsible for the ecumenical outreach of the Church.

Francesco Marchisano is 84 and hails from Italy. A priest of the Archdiocese of Turin since 1952, he became Secretary of the Pontifical Commission of Preserving the Church’s Patrimony of Art and History in 1988, and he remained so until 2003. During that time he also had several other tasks: he was President of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology from 1991 to 2004; President of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church from 1993 to 2003; President of the Fabric of St. Peter from 2002 to 2004; and Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica from 202 to 2006. His final office before retirement was as President of the Labour Office of the Apostolic See from 2005 to 2009. Cardinal Marchisano retired at the age of 80.

Julián Herranz Casado is also 84 and comes from Spain. He was ordained a priest from Opus Dei in 1955 and was appointed as Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts in 1983. In 1994 he was appointed as the President of that same Council, a position he held until his retirement in 2007. Cardinal Herranz was also one of the cardinals entrusted by Pope Benedict XVI with the investigation into the VatiLeaks scandal.

Javier Lozano Barragán, from Mexico, is 81, and was ordained a priest in 1955. From 1979 to 1985 he was auxiliary bishop of Mexico and later the bishop of Zacatecas until 1996. In 1997 he came to Rome to become President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, a position he held until retiring in 2009.

Attilio Nicora, 77, comes from the Archdiocese of Milan, where he was a priest from 1964 to 1977. He became auxiliary bishop of Milan until resigning 1987. In 1994 he took on a new task, as Bishop of Verona, where he stayed until 2002. In that year he became President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See until retiring in 2011. In recent years he headed the Financial Information Authority of the Holy See.

Georges Marie Martin Cottier, lastly, is 92 and hails from Switzerland. He joined the Dominican Order in 1946 and was ordained in 1951. A distinguished professor and theologian, he was secretary of the International Theological Commission and has also been Theologian of the Papal Household.

Cardinal Burke on the way out? Not really

A cardinal who is the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, a member of the College of Cardinals, a member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, a member of the Congregation for Clergy, a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and President of the Commission for Advocates, is clearly one on the way out. Or so certain media would have us believe.

The cardinal in question is Raymond Leo Burke, and the reason is his removal from the Congregation for Bishops. That congregation is undoubtedly an important one, and Cardinal Burke no longer being a member will certainly have its reasons. But are those reasons the cardinal’s disagreement with Pope Francis on how much emphasis to place on certain pro-life topics? Or is it the Pope’s widely known intention to slim down the Curia?

Cardinal Burke’s recent interview, in which he voiced his careful disagreement with Pope Francis’ statements, was rather unfortunate, in my opinion. I can’t agree with the cardinal’s assessments of what the Pope said or meant. But, that said, a cardinal’s removal or reassignment does not happen in a day’s notice. It will have been planned beforehand, most likely in consultation with Cardinal Ouellet, the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Cardinal Burke himself. The interview, which was published a mere day before the removal can’t be the reason for it.

In short, unlike too many media would have us think, this is really not a demotion for Cardinal Burke, certainly not when he retains the positions I listed above (thanks to Thomas Peters).  John L. Allen, Jr. best describes the changes at the Congregation for Bishops and what they mean here.

Not an island, or how Bishop Tebartz-van Elst may not be solely to blame for what went wrong

There is a lot going on in the Diocese of Limburg, not least when it comes to the speculation about what Bishop Tebartz-van Elst did and did not do. Whatever the truth of all this may turn out to be (and that is, it would seem, now up to either Pope Francis or Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s Congregation for Bishops – or both), it seems that the bishop is by no means the only one who bears responsibility for the excessive costs of the St. Nicholas centre, which includes the bishop’s private appartments.

The most striking name involved is that of Archbishop Jean-Claude Périsset (pictured), until about a month ago the Apostolic Nuncio to Germany. Not only was he aware of the construction plans for the diocesan centre in Limburg an der Lahn, but he also agreed to the plan of splitting the project into ten smaller ones, thus avoiding seeking Vatican, as is mandatory with plans costing more than 5 million Euros. All this according to internal reports that German press agency KNA got their hands on.

Not only does this indicate that Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, in Germany media these days often called the “luxury bishop” or even the “bishop of bling”, is not automatically the sole responsible party (although he carries the major part of the burden out of his responsibility as ordinary), but it may also shed a light on Archbishop Périsset’s retirement eight months before he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75…

Oh well, all this may turn out to be mere speculation, but it is striking. One thing is certain: the situation is not as clear-cut as we, and the media, would perhaps like. It seems ever more likely that Bishop Tebartz-van Elst, consciously or not, has made some serious errors of judgement. But others who he called in for advice and assistance, certainly aided him in that.

Not a Visitation, Lajolo to Limburg

Although it is pertinently not an Apostolic Visitation but a ‘fraternal visit’, the dispatch of Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo to the German Diocese of Limburg indicates that the standoff between bishop and faithful there is being taken seriously in Rome.

In a letter dated 3 September, Cardinal Marc Ouellet of the Congregation for Bishops expresses his fullest confidence in Bishop Franz-Peter Tebarzt-van Elst and underlines the purpose of Cardinal Lajolo’s forthcoming visit:

“Being very familiar with the situation of the Church in the German dioceses from his time as Apostolic Nuncio, the cardinal will enter into a fraternal dialogue with you, Your Excellence, with the cathedral chapter, but also with other relevant persons, with an alert eye on the needs of your local Church, help to distinguish the spirit and, where appropriate, to fraternally exhort, mainly in order to support and encourage your episcopal ministry towards peace and unity.”

As the above quote points out, Cardinal Lajolo was Apostolic Nuncio to Germany from 1995 to 2003. He was later recalled to Rome to work in the Secretariat of State and was later the President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State from 2006 until his retirement in 2011.

Limburg’s Bishop Tebartz-van Elst met with Cardinal Ouellet on 28 August in Rome and requested that an Apostolic Visitation be made to his diocese. Such a measure would mean an official investigation of, in this case, the finances of the bishop and the diocese, as well as the conduct of the bishop and the parties opposed to him. The visitor would then draft a report to authoritatively identify the root of the problems and recommend solutions. THis visit will not go that far, although Cardinal Lajolo will, as Cardinal Ouellet’s letter says, meet with all parties involved to resolve the situation amicably, so that Bishop Tebartz-van Ekst may continue his ministry in peace and unity.

Limburg on fire – Bishop Tebartz-van Elst writes to his diocese

In Germany, few bishops have received as much attention as the bishop of Limburg, Msgr. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst. This attention is the result of an escalation of tensions within the Diocese of Limburg, located in south-central Germany. At the heart of these tensions lie questions about the bishop’s expenses, mostly concerning the building of a new bishop’s house and a costly flight to India. Another factor is the perceived orthodoxy of Bishop Tebartz-van Elst in a liberal diocese, and his perceived lack of communication.

Last week, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst travelled to Rome to meet with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. The purpose of the meeting was undisclosed, although it is assumed to have been related to the situation in the diocese.

On Saturday, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst wrote the following letter to all faithful in the Diocese of Limburg, a conciliatory gesture that will hopefully start easing the tensions:

To all the priests and deacons in the Diocese of Limburg,
To all coworkers in the pastoral care,
To all religious communities,
To all Synodal departments,
To all Catholics in the communities, pastoral areas and parishes in the Church of Limburg,
The Bishop of Limburg
31 August 2013

Dear sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Limburg,

I know that many of you, in these past days, have been concerned about the future of our diocese, that there are many unanswered question and also discontent and criticism. That is why I turn directly to you today.

It is hardly possible to answer every single question in this letter. A closer look at and review of many details concerning the costs of the new bishop’s house (Diocesan Centre St. Nicholas) will be necessary. I gladly inform you that everything will be done to answer this question as clearly as possible. And even more importantly: I want to invite you all, every single parish community in our diocese, for a visit to the Diocesan Centre St. Nicholas in Limburg and for a personal meeting with me. That is not possible within a few days, so I have to ask you for patience. It will cost time, but I gladly take that time. The bishop’s house is our common house, and it is open to you all.

Some of what has been said and written in the past few weeks has hurt me. Other things have also caused me to think and have contributed to me seeing some decisions in a different light. Looking back, I would have done some things differently. It is true, even a bishop is not immune to doubts and must be able to bear criticism.

That is why I want to especially turn towards those who are observing me from a critical distance. Let us approach one another! I appreciate your skeptical and critical questions. But even more than that, I need your trust. No Christian community can come alive where only suspicions and mistrust rule.

I have already met this week with representatives of our synodal bodies in the diocese and held many conversations. Together we have considered how we can deepen our established synodal dialogue. For the future we both need dialogue and unity. Episcopal care consists precisely of concern for this cooperation.

I ask you all in these undoubtedly difficult days for your prayer for our diocese. And also I personally need your prayer. Be assured that I also include all of you in my prayers. Let us travel the road which lies before us together, in full faith in the risen Lord. Not we, but He is at the heart. And how comforting on our way is this Word of the Lord: He is with us, always!

With heartfelt greetings and blessings

Yours,

+ Dr. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst
Bishop of Limburg

(Original German text available here.)

Photo credit: Martin Oeser/ddp

The light of faith – Pope Francis’ first encyclical

As announced today, Pope Francis will be releasing his first encyclical on Friday. Titled Lumen fidei, “The light of faith”, it has been co-authored by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. Pope Francis has reworked a draft created by the emeritus pontiff, and as such the encyclical will be the third in a series on the theological virtues of hope, charity and faith. Benedict XVI published Deus caritas est – on Christian love – in 2005, and Spe Salvi – On Christian hope – in 2007.

Lumen fidei is published very early in this pontificate – less than four months into it – , a fact no doubt due to the fact that the previous Pope already drafted an initial version. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI took eight months to release his first encyclical. Pope John Paul II, in 1979, released his first five months after his election. Pope Paul VI took more than a year, Pope John XXIII eight months, Pope Pius XII seven months, Pope Pius XI ten months, and Pope Benedict XV released his first a mere two months after his election in 1914.

The encyclical will be presented on Friday morning at the Vatican by Cardinal Marc Ouellet and Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella and Gerhard Müller, the heads of the Vatican offices for bishops, new evangelisation and the doctrine of the faith. That, in itself, may give us some hints at how we should read Lumen fidei: as an integral element of the Year of Faith and the new evangelisation, and with perhaps a special focus on the role of the bishops in that endeavour.