Pope Francis marks the future of the Church with the investiture of 20 cardinals

First modification: 08/27/2022 – 07:42

The 85-year-old Latin American pontiff, who is dealing with the ailments of age and does not rule out resigning for health reasons, is preparing his succession with the “creation” of 20 new cardinals, 16 of them with the right to vote in the conclave for the choice of his successor.

The ceremony takes place in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and many cardinals from around the world must also attend, since they have been summoned for a parallel and unprecedented two-day meeting on Monday and Tuesday.

This is a particular occasion, officially dedicated to the reform of the pontifical Constitution, approved in March and in force since June 5, but which for many is a kind of pre-conclave, to take stock of the situation of the Church and meet each other.

The meeting has also sparked all kinds of speculation, in particular about the Pope’s state of health, who underwent colon surgery in 2021 and suffers from pain in his right knee that prevents him from walking and forces him to move in a wheelchair.

With the investiture of the new cardinals, the first Latin American pope in history proposes as a model for the throne of Peter religious sensitive to social problems, who come from distant lands, where the Church is a minority or is growing.

Religious from Africa, Asia and Latin America

In the list of 16 cardinals under 80 who will become “princes of the church” there are religious from India, Singapore, Mongolia, East Timor.

Three Latin Americans also stand out: the Archbishop of Brasilia, Paulo Cesar Costa, the Archbishop of Manaus, Leonardo Ulrich, the first cardinal of the Amazon region, and the Archbishop of Asunción, Adalberto Martínez Flores, who will become the first cardinal of Paraguay.

Among those over 80 who receive the title of cardinal is the Archbishop Emeritus of Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal.

These new cardinals “represent the Church of today, with a strong presence in the southern hemisphere”, where 80% of Catholics live, stressed Vaticanist Bernard Lecomte.

At the end of his eighth consistory, almost one for each year of his papacy, Francis will have elected 83 cardinals out of the current total of 132 electors, that is, almost two-thirds.

A determining figure in the event of the election of the Pope, since a two-thirds majority is precisely required.

True to his line in favor of a less European church, closer to the forgotten, the Argentine-born Pope chose two Africans and five Asians, including two Indians, confirming the rise of that continent.

Among the most notable appointments is that of the American Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego, California, considered a progressive for his positions on homosexual Catholics and the right to abortion.

Another emblematic appointment is from the Italian missionary Giorgio Marengo, who works in Mongolia. He will be the youngest cardinal in the world at just 48 years old.

Three future cardinals hold positions in the Curia, the central government of the Church: the British Arthur Roche, the Korean Lazzaro You Heung-sik and the Spanish Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the governorate of the Vatican City State.

Initially appointed, the 80-year-old Belgian Lucas Van Looy, bishop emeritus of Ghent, asked to be dispensed from this title due to criticism of his handling of sexual abuse by members of the clergy.

Europe remains the most represented continent in the College of Cardinals with 40%, ahead of South America and Asia (16% each), Africa (13%) and North America (12%).

AFP