DC archbishop named a cardinal; so is Father Cantalamessa

Pope surprises with announcement of 13 new cardinals after praying Sunday Angelus.

Pope Francis has named 13 new cardinals for the Church, nine of whom are younger than 80 and therefore, have the right to participate in a future conclave, including a prelate from Rwanda, the United States, and the Philippines.

Pope Francis’s announcement came as a surprise, after the recitation of the Sunday Angelus of October 25. There are six Italians, a Mexican, a Bruneian, a Spaniard, a Filipino, an American, a Rwandan and a Maltese, that is to say eight Europeans, two Asians, two Americans and an African.

Two of the new Cardinals work in the Roman Curia:

— the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Maltese Mario Grech and

— Italian Marcello Semeraro, former Bishop of Albano, and the new Prefect for the Congregation of Saints’ Causes.

Six other pastors in the Church throughout the world:

— Archbishop of Kilgali, Rwanda, Antoine Kambanda;

— Archbishop of Washington, United States, Wilton Gregory;

— Archbishop of Capiz, Philippines, Jose Fuerte Advincula;

— Archbishop of Santiago, Chile, Celestino Aós Braco;

— Apostolic Vicar of Brunei, Cornelius Sim;

— Archbishop of Siena, Italia, Augusto Paolo Lojudice.

In addition, the pope has also appointed the current Guardian of the Franciscan Sacro Convento in Assisi, Mauro Gambetti.

See biographies of the new cardinals from Vatican News here.

To these Cardinals who are younger than 80 years of age, Pope Francis has also added four other Cardinals who are older than 80.

They are:

— Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, Archbishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas (Mexico);

— former Apostolic Nuncio Silvano Tomasi, former permanent observer at the United Nations in Geneva who then worked in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development;

–Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Papal Household;

— and the pastor of the Shrine of Divine Love, Father Enrico Feroci.

With the new additions, there are 219 living Cardinals, 99 of whom are non-voting (over the age of 80).

Cardinals wear the color red which indicates their willingness to sacrifice themselves usque ad sanguinis effusionem, that is, to the point of sheding their own blood, in the service of the Successor of Peter, and even though they reside in the remostest regions of the world, they become the titular of a parish in the Eternal City so that they are incardinated in the Church of which the Pope is Bishop.