Rome Newsroom, Dec 6, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).
Out of the 21 cardinals who will be created Dec. 7 in Pope Francis’ 10th consistory at the Vatican, 10 new cardinals — almost half — are members of religious congregations or institutes.
Since the pope himself belongs to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and has consistently considered the presence of men religious in the College of Cardinals during his consistories, it’s not surprising that he would choose new cardinals from among the Church’s many congregations and institutes for men religious.
What is unusual, however, is the large number of cardinals from religious orders and institutes named in this latest consistory and the diversity of communities represented.
The 10 religious are divided as follows:
- Three are Franciscans (two are Friars Minor and one Conventual).
- Two are from the Society of the Divine Word (Verbiti).
- Two are Dominicans.
- There is one each from the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (Scalabrinians), and the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists).
The new cardinals are:
- Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, OFM, metropolitan archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador (Franciscan)
- Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, metropolitan archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil; president of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference; and president of Latin American Episcopal Council, CELAM (Franciscan)
- Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv, archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan, Iran (Conventual Franciscan)
- Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi, SVD, metropolitan archbishop of Tokyo and president of Caritas Internationalis (Society of the Divine Word/Verbiti)
- Archbishop László Német, SVD, metropolitan archbishop of Belgrade, Serbia (Society of the Divine Word/Verbiti)
- Archbishop Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, metropolitan archbishop of Algiers, Algeria (Dominican)
- Archbishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic, CM, archbishop of Santiago del Estero, Argentina (Congregation of the Mission/Vincentians)
- Bishop Mykola Byčok, CSSR, eparch of St. Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians in Australia (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer/Redemptorists)
- Father Timothy Radcliffe, OP, former master general of the Order of Preachers as well as current spiritual assistant of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (Dominican)
- Father Fabio Baggio, CS, undersecretary for the migrants and refugees section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo/Scalabrinians)
As noted, the new cardinals from religious communities make up almost half of the newest class and represent the largest group of men religious chosen in one consistory throughout Pope Francis’ nearly 12-year pontificate. The closest was in 2019, when eight of 13 new cardinals were men religious.
In all, out of the 163 cardinals created in the 10 consistories of his pontificate, Pope Francis has chosen 55 men religious from more than 20 religious communities. He has thus averaged between four and five men religious in each consistory.
Eight cardinals are Jesuits, including Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and two prominent figures of the pontificate: Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, who was also the relator general of the Synod on Synodality, and Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Six are Salesians, including Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon, Myanmar, and Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero of Rabat, Morocco. The Capuchin Franciscans claim four members, including Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, who led the African bishops’ opposition to Fiducia Supplicans, which permitted blessings of same-sex couples; and Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, the longtime preacher of the Papal Household.
Other notable cardinals on the list are: the Redemptorist Joseph William Tobin, metropolitan archbishop of Newark, New Jersey; the Discalced Carmelite Anders Arborelius, bishop of Stockholm, Sweden, and a convert to Catholicism; the late Comboni Missionary Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, one of the leading experts in interreligious dialogue, who died at the end of November; the Consolata Missionary Giorgio Marengo, apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, one of the youngest members of the College of Cardinals; and the American-born Augustinian Robert Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
After the latest consistory, among the living cardinals stretching back to the pontificate of St. John Paul II, there will be a total of 11 Salesians, nine Jesuits, five Capuchin Franciscans, five Friars Minor, four Dominicans, three Conventional Franciscan Friars, two Spiritans, two Claretians, two Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, two Missionaries of Africa (the White Fathers), two Redemptorists, two Society of the Divine Word (Verbites), and one from each of the following communities: Eudists, Schoenstatt Fathers, Cistercians, Augustinian Recollects, Congregation of Holy Cross, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Discalced Carmelites, Sulpicians, Mariamite Maronites, Scalabrinians, Legionaries of Christ, Consolata Missionaries, and the Augustinians. There are also two members of Opus Dei.
A question that will be asked, of course, is whether cardinals who belong to religious communities are more heavily represented in the College of Cardinals under Pope Francis than his immediate predecessors.
Among the 140 cardinal-electors after the conclusion of this latest consistory, there are now 35 cardinals who are religious, meaning they represent nearly 25% of the total body of voters. By comparison, in 2005, at the time of John Paul II’s death, there were 117 cardinal-electors who were eligible to participate in the subsequent conclave (two ultimately did not take part). Of these 20 were men religious, meaning they comprised 17% of the voters.
In 2013, there were 115 cardinal-electors eligible to take part in the election of Pope Benedict XVI’s successor after his resignation. There were 18 men religious among the electors, comprising 15.5% of the voters. One of them, of course, was elected pope — the Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who took the name Francis.
This story was based on a story first published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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Pope Francis is blessed with a creative and constructive vision. The Holy Father is on the right track. Cooperation and not competition is good for the health and wellbeing of the pilgrim church.
What does it mean that almost none of the Cardinals have received a Traditional Catholic formation, but rather a homepathic dumped-down Novos Ordo “formation”?
Indeed he has a vision for the future of the Church:
“Pope Francis Proclaims Special Jubilee for LGBTQ+ Community”
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2024/12/07/pope-francis-proclaims-special-jubilee-lgbtq-community/
As a generalization, in my opinion. men in religious orders nowadays tend to be more “prophetic” and more “progressive” ergo more “leftist”
Is having a jubilee celebration for the LGBTLMNOP lobby consistent with church teaching on sexuality? Is that an example of being on the right track?
On the Pope declaring a Jubilee for homosexuals, LGbt…etc:
“The Jubilee 2025 initiative is sponsored by Jonathan’s Tent, an Italian pro-LGBTQ organization founded in 2018 by Catholic priest Father David Esposito that aims to reconcile “homosexuality and faith.”
The news was welcomed by other LGBT advocacy groups.
“Any initiative aimed at welcoming LGBTQIA+ people and overcoming the obstacles they encounter in fully exercising their rights, including those of a spiritual life, can only be welcomed by us with applause and enthusiasm,” Gabriele Piazzoni, general secretary of Arcigay, said.
Nonetheless, Piazzoni added, Catholics still have a long way to go on issues such as gay rights, abortion, and euthanasia.
“Catholics are still today the most hostile politicians to the exercise of our freedoms, as well as many freedoms related to the dignity of people and self-determination over their bodies, from end-of-life issues to voluntary termination of pregnancy,” he said.
“And these remain facts that are difficult to overcome with a pilgrimage, however welcome and positive in itself,” he said.
Similarly, Rosario Coco, president of Gaynet, suggested that beginning with the Jubilee, “let’s shelve the rhetoric of gender and reach a clear position against conversion practices and the criminalization of homosexuality and trans people around the world.”
“Pope Francis has shown great openness towards homosexual people,” Il Messaggero pointed out, but at the same time, “he has always spoken out clearly against the ‘gay lobbies,’ as well as against the entry into seminaries of boys with this sexual identity.”
It also noted, however, that the pontiff has decried the problem of “faggotry” in some Catholic seminaries, urging bishops to curb the situation.”
see https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2024/12/07/pope-francis-proclaims-special-jubilee-lgbtq-community/
“Jubilee 2025 initiative is sponsored by Jonathan’s Tent,…”
Okay. But how is this the Pope’s doing? The journalism here is sloppy at best. Yes, Pope Francis is weak on sexual morality. But just because an Italian group headed by a priest is doing this or that doesn’t mean the Pope is involved.
Pope Francis continues on the wrong track. There should be fewer Jesuits and more Benedictines. Choose men for the ranks of Cardinal from religious orders that are growing, not dying.
The Pontiff Francis has the mind of McCarrick. He and his circle, represented by Eminence Joseph Tobin and Eminence Hollerich SJ and Eminence McElroy, reject the commands of Jesus about sexual morality, and in so speaking and behaving, they mark themselves as apostates who live a false identity as parasites inside the Church, men who represent the cult ideology that lives to “decapitate the Body of Christ” (described by Fr. Robert Imbelli).
They are to be confronted and reminded that the Church exists for the sole purpose of obeying God, not obeying them instead.
As a convert, I don’t understand the subtleties of these kinds of things. What I know is that Pope Francis was chosen out of the last conclave. It appears that PF has made a concerted effort to choose the majority of the cardinals who will participate in the next conclave. Though it could be argued that he has ensured that the next pope will follow in his form or path of progressive theology, I have hope that each cardinal will vote his conscience – and more importantly, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The challenges so abundant in the world today need a strong voice that inspires, uplifts, and guides all to Jesus Christ.
What it means is an effort to rediscover what Bernard of Clairveaux called the coming between the first, Advent, and the final, judgment. That middle appearance is God coming into his people by the Holy Spirit. Apparently, religious order cardinals should have a better grasp of this due to their perceived greater commitment.
This comment is in response to editor Olson’s commentary for this Sunday – which does not admit comments. Of course the reason I give regarding religious order men is a ruse meant to write about something that strongly interests me. For example, if the first and second coming as Christ, the first person of the Trinity, this intervening Advent, this “pouring out of the Holy Spirit” prior to the Final Judgment is, for you and I, the exemplary issue at hand. It’s the brief moment on earth that we give eternal validation to the first and second. Bernard realized that, which is why he had such great devotion to God’s presence as Father and Son through the Holy Spirit in a life of contemplative prayer and doctrinal teaching.
It means the Shepherds won’t smell of sheep.
Of the 410,000 priests worldwide, 37,302 are in the United States. And, of these, 11,596 belong to religious orders. This is 31% of the U.S. sample. We read, above, “Among the 140 cardinal-electors after the conclusion of this latest consistory, there are now 35 cardinals who are religious, meaning they represent nearly [and the roughly comparable] 25% of the total body of voters.”
So, maybe the share of religious-order cardinals is roughly proportional to the share of religious-order priests to the worldwide total, assuming that the U.S. breakdown is typical of the worldwide priesthood. (As a possibly random sample, the U.S. accounts for about 9% of all priests: 37,302 out of the 410,000 worldwide total).
Historically rather than statistically, however, we might be encouraged by any Dominican nominees since it was the Dominican Order who confronted Catharism (a dualist contempt for material reality, and therefore blindness to sexual sin). But, in relation to our modernday Catharism (the Fundamental Option, contraception/abortion–and the homosexual lifestyle), we notice that the lone Dominican on the list is the apologist for the mutated homosexual subculture, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.
How will future history interpret this curiosity?