Pope Francis To Create 13 New Cardinals In October Consistory

Vatican City, Sep 1, 2019 / 05:12 am (CNA).- Pope Francis
announced Sunday he will create 13 new cardinals, from every part
of the world, in a consistory Oct. 5. Among them are 10 who are
elegible to vote in a future conclave.

Coming from North America, Central America, Africa, Europe, and
Asia, Pope Francis said Sept. 1 that “their origin expresses the
missionary vocation of the Church, which continues to proclaim the
merciful love of God to all people on earth.”

Among those to be elevated to cardinal is Canadian Jesuit Fr.
Michael Czerny, the head of the Migrants and Refugees section of
the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Two other red hat recipients also work inside the Vatican. They
are: Spanish Archbishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, prefect of the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue; and Portuguese
Archbishop José Tolentino Mendonca, librarian of the Holy Roman
Church.

From Africa are Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa
in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Archbishop Cristobal Lopez
Romero of Rabat in Morocco.

There is Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo of Jakarta in
Indonesia and Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini of Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
North America is represented only by Archbishop Juan de la Caridad
Garcia Rodriguez of Havana, Cuba.

Archbishops Jean Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg and Matteo Zuppi
of Bologna represent Europe.

Pope Francis will also elevate three bishops over the age of 80,
and therefore ineligible to vote in a conclave, but who, he said,
“have distinguished themselves for their service to the
Church.”

They are: Archbishop Michael Louis Fitzgerald, emeritus of Nepte
in Tunisia and a former president of the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue; Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevicius, emeritus
of Kaunas in Lithuania, he was arrested and persecuted under the
soviet regime; and Bishop Eugenio Dal Corso, emeritus of Benguela
in Angola, where he was a missionary.

As it stands now, the College of Cardinals has 215 members, 118
of whom are electors.

Pope Francis announced his intention to add to the College of
Cardinals from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, after
leading the Angelus Sept. 1.