The Holy Father today announced a Consistory on September 30, during which he will proceed to the creation of 21 new cardinals, including the newly appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Bishop Victor Manuel FernandezRobert Francis Trevost O.S.A.; and the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, Bishop Claudio Gugerotti.
Among the upcoming cardinals is also the new Archbishop of MadridJosé Cobo Cano, which means that the capital of Spain will have a cardinal titular archbishop, Archbishop Cobo, and two emeriti, Cardinals Carlos Osoro and Antonio M. Rouco Varela, whom he greeted with affection yesterday, together with Nuncio Bernardito Auza, and auxiliary bishops Martínez Camino and Jesús Vidal, in the homily at the beginning of his ministry in the cathedral of La Almudena in Madrid.
In addition, Pope Francis will also create two other Spanish cardinals, Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major of the Salesians, from Asturias, and Francois-Xavier Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio (France), from Navarre.
Other archbishops and bishops named cardinals by the Holy Father include the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Bishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa; Archbishop Luis José Rueda of Bogotá; Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, S.J., of Hong Kong; and Auxiliary Bishop Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar of Lisbon, president of the WYD Lisbon 2023 Foundation, organizer of the upcoming World Youth Day in Lisbon (Portugal).
The August session
After the previous Consistory At the end of August of last year, when the Pope appointed 20 new cardinals (15 electors and 5 non-electors because they were over 80 years old), the College of Cardinals had 229 cardinals, of whom 132 were electors. Slightly more than 40 % were European, 18 % were Latin American, 16 % were Asian, 13 % were African, 10 % were North American, and slightly more than 2 % were Oceanic. Now, to the 229 cardinals must be added the 21 of this consistory.
This consistory will be the ninth of Francis' Pontificate. The first was on February 22, 2014, followed by those of February 14, 2015; November 19, 2016; June 28, 2017; June 28, 2018; October 05, 2019; November 28, 2020 and August 27, 2022.
After the Angelus prayer, these were the Pope's words: "I am happy to announce that on 30 September I will celebrate a Consistory for the creation of new cardinals. Their origin expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God's merciful love for all people on earth. The inclusion of the new Cardinals in the Diocese of Rome also manifests the inseparable bond between the See of Peter and the particular Churches throughout the world. These are the names of the new Cardinals:
Msgr. Robert Francis PREVOST, O.S.A., Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops
Msgr. Claudio GUGEROTTI, Prefect of the Dicastery for Oriental Churches
Mons. Víctor Manuel FERNÁNDEZ, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
Msgr. Emil Paul TSCHERRIG, Apostolic Nuncio
Bishop Christophe Louis Yves Georges Georges PIERRE, Apostolic Nuncio
Msgr. Pierbattista PIZZABALLA, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Archbishop Stephen BRISLIN, Archbishop of Cape Town (Kaapstad)
Mons. Ángel Sixto ROSSI, S.J., Archbishop of Cordoba
Archbishop Luis José RUEDA APARICIO, Archbishop of Bogotá
Msgr. Grzegorz RYŚ, Archbishop of Łódź,
Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin MULLA, Archbishop of Juba
Archbishop José COBO CANO, Archbishop of Madrid
Archbishop Protase RUGAMBWA, Coadjutor Archbishop of Tabora
Mgr. Sebastian FRANCIS, Bishop of Penang
Msgr. Stephen CHOW SAU-YAN, S.J., Bishop of Hong Kong
Bishop François-Xavier BUSTILLO, O.F.M. Conv., Bishop of Ajaccio
Mons. Américo Manuel ALVES AGUIAR, Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon
Ángel FERNÁNDEZ ARTIME, s.d.b., Rector Major of the Salesians".
In addition, the Pope has informed that he will "join the members of the College of Cardinals two archbishops and one religious who have distinguished themselves for their service to the Church."
Agostino MARCHETTO, Apostolic Nuncio.
Diego Rafael PADRÓN SÁNCHEZ, Archbishop Emeritus of Cumaná.
Luis Pascual DRI, OFM Cap., confessor at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeya, Buenos Aires.
Finally, Francis asked for prayers for the new cardinals "that, confirming their adherence to Christ, merciful and faithful High Priest (cf. Heb 2:17), they may help me in my ministry as Bishop of Rome for the good of all God's faithful people."
