Pope Announces Names of 19 New Cardinals

The new cardinals will be officially elevated during the Feb. 22 consistory.

Pope Francis today announced the names of 19 new cardinals (16 cardinal-electors under the age of 80 and three archbishops emeritii) to be formally elevated to the College of Cardinals at a consistory on Feb. 22.

Six of the new cardinal-electors come from Europe, one is from Canada, and the rest are from the Southern Hemisphere.

Here below is the Holy Father's announcement, made after the Angelus today:

"As was previously announced, on Feb. 22, the feast of the Chair of Peter, I will have the joy of holding a consistory, during which I will name 16 new cardinals, who, coming from 12 countries from every part of the world, represent the deep ecclesial relationship between the Church of Rome and the other Churches throughout the world. The following day [Feb. 23], I will preside at a solemn concelebration with the new cardinals, while on Feb. 20 and 21 I will hold a consistory with all the cardinals to reflect on the theme of the family.

Here are the names of the new cardinals:

1. Pietro Parolin, titular archbishop of Acquapendente, secretary of state

2. Lorenzo Baldisseri, titular archbishop of Diocleziana, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops

3. Gerhard Ludwig Műller, archbishop-bishop emeritus of Regensburg, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

4. Beniamino Stella, titular archbishop of Midila, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

5. Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster (Great Britain)

6. Leopoldo José Brenes Solórzano, archbishop of Managua (Nicaragua)

7. Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, archbishop of Québec (Canada)

8. Jean-Pierre Kutwa, archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast)

9. Orani João Tempesta, O.Cist., archbishop of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

10. Gualtiero Bassetti, archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve (Italy)

11. Mario Aurelio Poli, archbishop of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

12. Andrew Yeom Soo jung, archbishop of Seoul (South Korea)

13. Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B., archbishop of Santiago del Cile (Chile)

14. Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo, archbishop of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

15. Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., archbishop of Cotabato (Philippines)

16. Chibly Langlois, bishop of Les Cayes (Haiti)

Together with them, I will join to the members of the College of Cardinals three archbishops emeriti distinguished for their service to the Holy See and to the Church. They are:

1. Loris Francesco Capovilla, titular archbishop of Mesembria

2. Fernando Sebastián Aguilar, C.M.F., archbishop emeritus of Pamplona

3. Kelvin Edward Felix, archbishop emeritus of Castries

Let us pray for the new cardinals, that vested in the virtues and the sentiments of the Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, they might be able to help more effectively the Bishop of Rome in his service to the universal Church."

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Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi issued the following explanatory note this afternoon:

"The Pope has adhered to the rule of 120 cardinals under 80 years of age who will be eligible to vote in a papal election. Currently, there were 13 seats vacant; three others will be vacant by the end of May, so the Pope has chosen 16 electors.

Of the 16 eligible to vote, four are members of the Curia (i.e., 1/4 of the total), and 12 are residential archbishops or bishops, all from different countries. The distribution of electors who are residential prelates is well distributed among the different continents: two from Europe, two from North and Central America, three from South America, two from Africa and two from Asia.

The choice of cardinals of Burkina Faso and Haiti shows concern for people struck by poverty.

Two residential prelates were chosen from places not traditionally considered cardinalatial sees (namely, Perugia in Italy and Cotabato on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines).

Among the cardinals who are not electors, one should notice Archbishop Capovilla, the secretary of Pope John XXIII (who will soon be canonized during the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council).

Archbishop Capovilla, aged 98, is the oldest of the cardinals-elect; the youngest, Bishop Langlois (55 years old)."