Pope Francis creates five new cardinals during a consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 28, 2017. / L’Osservatore Romano.
Vatican City, May 27, 2022 / 11:10 am (CNA).
Pope Francis could soon convene a consistory for the creation of new cardinals, taking the number of cardinals eligible to take part in a future conclave over the 120 limit established by Paul VI.
Rumors of a new consistory have multiplied in recent weeks because the new Vatican constitution Praedicate evangelium will come into force on June 5, the feast of Pentecost. Several new Vatican dicasteries will come into being that day and there is an expectation that their leaders will be named cardinals, though the constitution emphasizes that laypeople can lead certain departments.
Pope Francis has two options. He can wait until the end of the year, when the number of cardinal electors will drop to 110 and he will therefore have 10 slots available. Or he can convene a consistory on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. A consistory that day would, in all likelihood, take the number of cardinal electors over 120. But then their number is expected to drop in the following months.
The College of Cardinals currently has 117 cardinal electors. Of these, 12 were created by John Paul II, 38 by Benedict XVI, and 67 by Pope Francis. Cardinals created by Pope Francis account for 57% of the cardinal electors.
The last consistory creating new cardinals was on Nov. 28, 2020. Up to that point, Pope Francis had convened a consistory every year since 2014. But 2021 passed without the creation of new cardinals.
So far this year, four cardinal electors have already turned 80, and another six will do so before 2022 ends. The last will be Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodriguez Maradiaga on Dec. 29.
Of these 10 cardinals, only four were created by Pope Francis. Therefore, if Pope Francis decided to name 10 new cardinal electors and return to the maximum limit of 120 electors established by Paul VI and confirmed by John Paul II, there would be 76 cardinals created by him in a possible conclave. That is to say, only four fewer than the 80 cardinals who represent the two-thirds of votes needed to elect a new pope.
Pope Francis has generally chosen candidates who are little known in the wider Church, with more pastoral than theological profiles, and with great attention to local churches that are considered marginalized, such as those in Tonga, Cape Verde, and the Central African Republic.
Any discussion of conclaves is, of course, speculative. It is not known who the cardinals will vote for. When they enter the Sistine Chapel, they are isolated, without the possibility of contact with the outside world. There, they ponder the choice of the next pontiff based more on pragmatic considerations than geopolitical ones.
But studying the composition of the College of Cardinals is still worthwhile. If nothing else, it allows us to understand what direction Pope Francis wants to give to the Church and bishops around the world.
Reviewing Pope Francis’ seven consistories creating new cardinals, three fundamental criteria can be distinguished.
The first is unpredictability. The second is a desire to expand the representation of the Church to the most remote and least Christian regions. The third is that at least one new cardinal should represent a connection to the past.
On the first point, Pope Francis has shown that he can choose anyone as a cardinal. But there are some figures who are more likely to receive red hats due to their positions at the Vatican. They include Archbishop Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, and Archbishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Governatorate of Vatican City State.
Then there are the less obvious possibilities. The number of Italian cardinals has consistently decreased under Pope Francis. Traditionally cardinalatial sees such as Naples, Palermo, Venice, Milan, and Turin are currently without a red hat. But the pope may opt for Archbishop Marco Tasca of Genoa, even though his predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, is still among the cardinal electors.
He might also reward Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, Lithuania, the president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE).
Among the surprises, there could also be another Italian: Monsignor Pierangelo Sequeri, president of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. Sequeri is 77 years old and would therefore be a cardinal elector.
With the red hat, would Pope Francis somehow wish to bless the new direction of the institute named after the Polish pope but profoundly reshaped in recent years?
It is a hypothesis, as is a red hat for Archbishop Piero Marini, Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations from 1987 to 2007 and, until this year, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.
Both Sequeri and Marini would arguably fit into the category of cardinals who represent a connection with the past. One would underline the new theological course under Pope Francis and the other the new liturgical line expressed most recently through the motu proprio Traditionis custodes.
A red hat for Marini, who was known for his progressive liturgical ideas during the pontificate of John Paul II, would say more than a thousand words about the direction that Pope Francis wants to give to the Church.
France could also gain a red hat. Apart from Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Pope Francis has not placed a red hat on a French head since his election in 2013. With former Paris archbishop Cardinal André Vingt-Trois turning 80 on Nov. 7, and losing his right to vote in a conclave, there is a possible opening.
Spain currently has four cardinals: the archbishops of Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, and Valladolid. Archbishop Francisco Cherro Chaves of Toledo, the Primate of Spain, is not a cardinal. But insiders think that is unlikely to change.
Looking at Europe, the absence of red hats in influential archdioceses such as Kraków, Poland, and Armagh, Northern Ireland, is striking.
Neither the United States nor Canada seems a likely destination for a new red hat. The U.S. already has six resident cardinal electors: Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston, and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark. There are three others in Rome: Cardinal Raymond Burke, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, and Cardinal James Harvey.
Canada, meanwhile, has two residential archbishops — Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto and Cardinal Gérald Lacroix of Quebec — and two curial cardinals, Cardinal Michael Czerny and Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
In Latin America, the pope is thought to be able to give the red hat to Archbishop Carlos Mattasoglio of Lima, Peru, and Archbishop Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo of Belo Horizonte, the president of Brazil’s bishops’ conference.
Africa is currently under-represented in the College of Cardinals (as well as among the heads of Vatican dicasteries) and three African cardinals turned 80 in 2021. Pope Francis could look to South Sudan, where he intends to visit in July. A possible candidate would be Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba.
But the pope might also gravitate toward Archbishop Benjamin Ndiaye of Dakar, Senegal, or Archbishop Siegfried Mandla Jwara of Durban, South Africa.
Australia does not currently have a cardinal elector, and the two most prominent names would be Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney and Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne. But the possibility of a red hat for Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane should not be underestimated. Coleridge was until recently the president of the Australian bishops’ conference and was seemingly highly esteemed by Pope Francis during the 2015 family synod.
Oceania could also be rewarded with a cardinal, perhaps from Papua New Guinea, where the pope has indicated that he wants to travel.
Asia now has 15 cardinal electors and is probably unlikely to gain many more at a new consistory.
Yet geographical considerations could become irrelevant if Pope Francis decided to expand the number of cardinal electors. There is a precedent: With the consistory of Nov. 28, 2020, he exceeded the threshold of 120, reaching 128 cardinal electors.
When choosing new cardinals, the pope has tended to opt for candidates whom he trusts. But he has also sent signals about the direction of his governance. It is notable that since the beginning of his pontificate, the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops has been a cardinal (first Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri and now Cardinal Mario Grech.) This is a sign of how important the pope considers the Synod of Bishops to be.
When Czerny received the red hat, he was under-secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and responsible for Vatican policy on migrants and refugees. The gesture was a clear indication of the pope’s strong interest in the themes promoted by the dicastery.
And when it comes to Pope Francis’ choices, no signal should be underestimated.
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Woe to the shepherds who destroyed the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.
some could be falling off a cliff and i wonder who would be there to lift them back up i wonder if that would be the surprising thing to see.
Oh, my… Please don’t tell me something happened to them!
Shepherds – they are human and fragile. We need to pray for the well-being of our flock of shepherds.
Amen!
In Jeremiah and Jesus The Christ’s own words in The Word Of GOD,
each of us needs to strive by non cajoling GOD’s Grace Led compassion.
After, almost imperceptible each year and decades as the intellectual material needs focused happened, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen in a radio address before 1950, the Catechism of The Catholic Church paragraphs 670-680 describe a time of a so called new humanitarianism gradualism approach even in the Holy Name Of Jesus The Christ.
Each of us knows, that GOD, never leaving us orphaned, does not ask to win friends and influence people by striving for ‘lack of conflict,’ but GOD’s Sent True Peace, not as the world gives, Peace, for true compassion, finding by Grace creative resolute dialogue. There is nothing new under the sun. Peace and heartfelt completeness in Joy Of The Lord Strengthening fiber of Being.
Shepherd and Sheep Dogs
Much has been written about the Good Shepherd, Shepherds, and Sheep Dogs.
I doubt that a single Good Shepherd would leave the flock to search for one lost sheep. What if half of the flock, without leadership, would fall off a cliff?
I like the idea of a Shepherd and Sheep Dogs. The Shepherd is the leader and the Sheep Dogs are the managers/soldiers.
I attended a sheep dog demonstration in Ireland many years ago. It was very impressive. The human shepherd trained the sheep dogs to respond to specific whistle signal commands. The shepherd gave commands, like 2 tweets to move the flock to a certain location, 4 tweets to come home for dinner. The dogs lead the flock to move around to respond to these commands. It was fascinating. It appeared to be a successful system.
Is there an application of the concept of well-trained Sheep Dogs to modern religion? Maybe. It might give a fresh perspective in the current era of foggy thinking.
Patrick S.
May I suggest that the parable of the lost sheep suggests that Jesus does not reckon his flock by utilitarian calculus.
Yes, as an actual shepherd I frequently look for the lost lamb or sheep, esp if it has been ill.
Man needs guidance in this world of temptation, just as a sheep has no defense against a predator, except to snort and stomp its feet, and try to butt it with its head, or run. In other words, the ovine needs someone looking out for them.
Another important comment, in the closing part of the Gospel: Jesus arrives on the other shore of the Sea of Galilee, where His followers already preceded Him. They are hungry (and we’ll see that next week) first and foremost for what He has to offer, “because He taught with authority, and not like the scribes.” People still are, and we have an unparalleled Good News. Why are we diluting it?
“…we have an unparalleled Good News. Why are we diluting it?”
Amen! Amen!
It is so sad to see that Catholic faith and morals have been so pathetically watered down the last few generations—a far cry from the sound and unapologetic orthodoxy my generation learned from bold, faithful teachers!
Amen! Bad theology is a cruel taskmaster.
Priceless illustration!
In reading “He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake,” does this line relate also to the problematic line in Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation”?
Of the second line, because God knows that in our weakened state each of us might almost certainly fall for certain temptations, does he earlier nudge us away from these cliffs—while at the same time (therefore) not overriding our gifted, weakened, and sometimes reflexive “free will”? Apart from our petition, would He ever “lead us” into temptation?
The guiding and well-timed touch of grace can be as light as the almost unnoticed whispering sound for Isaiah.
Elijah.
“Jeremiah pointed to a coming time when God would gather ‘a remnant’ of his flock, appointing good and holy men ‘who will “shepherd them.’”
With the closing of parishes, the loss of so many young Catholics, and the rise of so much heterodoxy among clergy and laity, I think we are down to the “remnant” of His flock now.
So I pray that the next step will soon follow: that God will appoint those good and holy men “who will shepherd them.” We have a few brave shepherds who have spoken the truth to power at great personal cost, but not nearly enough.
Concerning imagery, Jesus let the pigs be driven off the cliff by the demons after he rescued the demoniac. And the people there got so upset and outraged.
The parable of the lost sheep suggests that the flock is not abandoned but that the shepherd leaves them well cared for while he is on errands. Alike to the prodigal son’s father telling the elder brother not to be envious or downcast since “you have been with me all this time”.
Jesus’ parables together have a holy consonance among them and with reality.
Or consider the BVM. Some parents make it a point to keep charge of their children with an excessive family and parent authority. But in the Cana wedding situation the BVM instructed the stewards who approached her to do as Jesus would tell them.
I just can’t take your reflection seriously when you begin with Jeremiah and then relate words of pope Francis.
Um…okay. Well, I cannot take your remark seriously when I quote Jeremiah and then quote a pope making good points about what it means to be a shepherd. If you thought about it for a moment or two, you might catch the possible ironies involved. Also: this column was originally penned in 2013. So…
Fine words by His Holiness, would that there were evidence of that within our Church. Except for the few there’s a sense of languish. Or seemingly moreso a larger percentage of faithful priests, who remain faithful to the Gospels presuming the rationale that if we keep out of the contested issues we can’t do wrong. These are often very hard working clergy serving what were three or four parishes to pastor God’s sheep.
Although is that rationale sufficient if we’re serving Christ? We hear quite frequently comments by laity that they rarely if ever hear about abortion, and never regarding contraception and homosexuality in all its myriad forms. One can find justification in keeping our head below the parapet and line of fire. Priests, bishops who are defenders of the faith who address the issues suddenly disappear. And there are many, especially in Italy and Spain.
It’s a terrible time for shepherds who in their hearts remain faithful to Apostolic tradition. There is a response. We can address the truth about the errors mentioned. Be critical, yes, including the pontiff, but desist from personal castigation of the Roman pontiff in respect for the Chair. To remain within the Church where the spiritual battleground is. To Shepherd with prophetic faith, warning, herding away from poisonous meadows. We likely will lose favor with many and gain with some. But then what price purchases integrity? Far better we finish our priesthood in complete and faithful witness to Christ.
The time grows closer. Along with the winds of war, (now a hurricane), political and economic instability grow while any semblance of peace seems now to be a long forgotten dream. After this brief but terrible conflict looming on our horizon, the antichrist will declare himself as the great peacemaker. From that moment, there will be only three groups of people, (largest to smallest) –
– The damned (followers of antichrist)
– The martyrs (as described in Revelation)
– The Remnant (God’s select few who will actually live through the chastisements and help build God’s full and righteous Kingdom on earth.)
Unfortunately I can appreciate the ironies in this your rebooted column from 2013. (Therefore I shall begin another Rosary this morning for both Clergy and world leaders).
Thank you, Editor/author Mr. Carl Olson🙏