Cardinals

Letter #67, 2016: The Silent Pope

December 8, 2016, Thursday -- The Silent Pope "This apostolic exhortation contains a number of statements that can be understood in a sense that is contrary to Catholic faith and morals... We request that the Cardinals and Patriarchs petition the Holy Father to condemn the errors... in a definitive and final manner." —Letter to Cardinal Angelo [...]

Letter #63, 2016: 17 New Cardinals

October 9, 2016, Sunday -- Pope Francis Names 17 New Cardinals Pope Francis Names 17 New Cardinals Pope Francis at the end of his Angelus on Sunday announced the creation of 17 new Cardinals. A consistory will be held on November 19, the eve of the closing of the Jubilee of Mercy. Thirteen of the new [...]

Cardinals: Defenders of the Faith

Cardinals, defenders of the faith. The new cardinals chosen by Pope Francis are pastors of rapidly growing flocks in many “peripheral” regions of the world. But they are not “progressives.” Rather, they are staunchly orthodox men of Christian faith who are leading the Church into her future — which may not include the traditional “heartland” of the [...]

"A Cardinal enters the Church of Rome, not a royal court."

Pope Francis' Homily at the Mass with the newly created Cardinals - St. Peter Basilica -  February 23, 2014 Merciful Father, by your help, may we be ever attentive to the voice of the Spirit (From Opening Prayer). This prayer, the opening prayer of todays Mass, reminds us of something fundamental: we are called to listen [...]

Speaking to the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel

“At the ripe old age of 87 I am one of the elders of the College of Cardinals, but in terms of appointment I am just a baby, and because my life was always dedicated to study, my knowledge of Curia events does not go past the third grade.” Thus began the meditation that Cardinal Grech [...]

The Cardinal Electors – By Country

Arranged by their Continents or Provenance (graphics by Giuseppe Sabtelli)115 cardinals under the age of 80 assembled in Rome in March to attend the conclave in the Sistine Chapel and to elect the new Pope. (A cardinal from Indonesia was unable to attend due to poor health, and a cardinal from Scotland withdrew for personal reasons.) [...]