Pope Francis visits Benedict XVI on Aug. 27th, 2022. (Image: Vatican Media)
Vatican City, Dec 28, 2022 / 02:16 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Wednesday asked for prayers for a “very ill” Benedict XVI.
Francis made the appeal for the 95-year-old pope emeritus at the end of his weekly public audience on Dec. 28 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
“I ask to all of you a special prayer for the pope emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church,” he said.
“Remember him — he is very ill — asking the Lord to console him and to sustain him in this testimony of love for the Church until the end.”
Benedict XVI, who reigned as pope from 2005 until his resignation on Feb. 28, 2013, lives in a former monastery in the gardens of Vatican City.
🔴 Benedetto XVI con padre Michel Fédou e Joseph Weiler (Premi Ratzinger 2022), mons. Georg Gänswein, padre Federico Lombardi e Pierluca Azzaro (1° dicembre 2022)
On Dec. 1, Pope Francis praised Benedict XVI for his role as pope emeritus and his contributions to the field of theology.
Speaking at the 2022 Ratzinger Prize award ceremony at the Vatican, Pope Francis said: “We all feel his spiritual presence and his accompaniment in prayer for the whole Church.”
“But this occasion is important to reaffirm that the contribution of his theological work and, more generally, of his thought continues to be fruitful and effective,” he said.
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Cardinals follow the ceremony during the ordinary public consistory for the creation of new cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Vatican City, Apr 28, 2025 / 11:09 am (CNA).
At the upcoming papal conclave, set to begin May 7, the College of Cardinals will include several notably young members who have traveled to Rome from across the world, from Mongolia to Australia.
Among the 135 cardinals who are eligible to vote in a conclave, 15 of them are under the age of 60.
Historically, the age of cardinals participating in papal conclaves has varied. One of the youngest was Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo di Conza, who attended the 1565–1566 conclave at the age of 25.
In more recent times, during the 2013 conclave, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was the youngest cardinal elector at 53. In the upcoming conclave, there are six cardinals the same age or younger.
Three of the youngest cardinals who will take part in the Conclave: Americo Manuel (51), from Portugal; Cardenal Mykola (45), Ukrainian Greek Catholic cardinal from Australia; and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, (50), from Mongolia. They took a selfie yesterday in St Peter’s Basilica. pic.twitter.com/8rNa3vUWwA
The five youngest cardinals lead sees in Australia, Mongolia, Portugal, and Canada as well as a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Two of them are Eastern-rite Catholics. Three were made cardinals in the last consistory before the conclave.
Here are the five youngest cardinals who will help select the next pope:
Cardinal Mykola Bychok, 45
Born on Feb. 13, 1980, in Ternopil, Ukraine, Bychok felt the call to the priesthood at the age of 15. He joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) in 1997, inspired by their missionary zeal. His service has been extensive, including roles as a missionary in Russia, parish priest, and provincial bursar in Ukraine as well as vicar of the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, New Jersey.
Bishop Mykola Bychok, CSSR, speaks to journalists ahead of being made a cardinal on Dec. 6, 2024. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate has served as eparch of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia, since 2020. Credit: EWTN News
In January 2020, Pope Francis appointed him as the eparchial bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul in Melbourne, Australia. His episcopal consecration took place on June 7, 2020. Bychok has worked to foster community among the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia and to increase youth engagement within the Church.
On Dec. 7, 2024, Pope Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals, making him the current world’s youngest cardinal.
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, 50
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, born on June 7, 1974, in Cuneo, Italy, has been a Consolata missionary in Mongolia since 2003. He was ordained a priest in 2001 and appointed apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar in 2020.
Cardinal Giorgio Marengo was one of the first to welcome Pope Francis to Mongolia on Sept. 1, 2023. Marengo is an Italian cardinal who has served as a missionary in Mongolia for nearly 20 years. He is the current apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis created him a cardinal on Aug. 27, 2022, making him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals at the time at age 48. He welcomed Pope Francis to Mongolia in 2023 as the first pope to ever visit the country. Marengo is fluent in Mongolian, Italian, and English.
Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, 51
Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, born on Dec. 12, 1973, is the bishop of Setúbal, Portugal. Before entering the priesthood, Aguiar had a brief political career, serving as a town councilor under the Socialist Party. He was ordained a priest at the age of 27 in 2001 and went on to serve in roles such as vicar general and communication director for the Diocese of Porto. He became the auxiliary bishop of Lisbon in 2019 and gained recognition for his leadership in organizing the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, which drew over 1.5 million attendees.
Pope Francis made him a cardinal in late 2023.
Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, 51
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, born on Aug. 11, 1973, in Kerala, India, is a Vatican diplomat and Syro-Malabar archbishop. His diplomatic career included assignments in various countries, including Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. In July 2020, Koovakad returned to Rome to work as an official in the Secretariat of State. He was responsible for organizing Pope Francis’ international travels from 2021 to 2024.
Indian Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad of the Syro-Malabar Church, official of the Secretariat of State and organizer of papal trips, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
The pope elevated Koovakad to cardinal on Dec. 7, 2024, and appointed him as prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in January.
Cardinal Francis Leo, 53
Cardinal Francis “Frank” Leo, born on June 30, 1971, in Montreal to Italian immigrant parents, is the current archbishop of Toronto. He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Montreal in 1996. Leo holds a doctorate in systematic theology with a specialization in Mariology from the University of Dayton. He served as the general secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2015 to 2021 and was appointed archbishop of Toronto in 2023, an archdiocese with a population of about 2 million Catholics.
Pope Francis made Leo a cardinal in December 2024.
Cardinal Francis Leo of Toronto was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Vatican City, May 25, 2019 / 08:28 am (CNA).- Pope Francis appointed Spanish Bishop Miguel Ayuso Guixot Saturday as president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
Guixot succeeds Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, who led the Vatican dicast… […]
Has truth ever been so spoken? “I ask to all of you a special prayer for the pope emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church,” he [Francis] said.
Not if you bear in mind that Francis harbored deep contempt for the actual theology of Benedict. A call to prayer if always good. I can not ignore self-evident hypocrisies.
The truth is “Benedict…sustaining the Church.” Many of us have a little more hope because Benedict has remained alive, suffering, in silence. [Although we still do not easily understand or accept his resignation. Some at times fault him because of that.]
My writing often lacks clarity and fails to explain what I really mean.
Yes, hypocrisy is prime in the primacy, and I accept, espouse, and proclaim that without saying. I also hypothesis the hypocrisy will increase in blatancy, frequency, and with less hesitation following the death of the emeritus. May God prove me wrong. Already we are near hell’s gates.
God bless Benedict XVI.
Has truth ever been so spoken? “I ask to all of you a special prayer for the pope emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church,” he [Francis] said.
Not if you bear in mind that Francis harbored deep contempt for the actual theology of Benedict. A call to prayer if always good. I can not ignore self-evident hypocrisies.
Hi Ed, My remark below is in reply to you here, but I somehow mistakenly put it below. Wishing you a blessed Christmas Season!
Popes don’t “reign”, they “serve.”
Prayers for Pope Benedict XVI.
The truth is “Benedict…sustaining the Church.” Many of us have a little more hope because Benedict has remained alive, suffering, in silence. [Although we still do not easily understand or accept his resignation. Some at times fault him because of that.]
My writing often lacks clarity and fails to explain what I really mean.
Yes, hypocrisy is prime in the primacy, and I accept, espouse, and proclaim that without saying. I also hypothesis the hypocrisy will increase in blatancy, frequency, and with less hesitation following the death of the emeritus. May God prove me wrong. Already we are near hell’s gates.