Pope Francis has named 17 new cardinals, 13 of whom are under 80 and thus eligible to vote in any conclave to elect his successor.
The 13 include the first cardinals from Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, the Central African Republic and Bangladesh. Another is the Belgian Archbishop Jozef de Kesel, who has been quoted as saying women’s ordination “can be discussed”.
The four over-80 cardinals include Malaysia’s first cardinal and a former political prisoner from Albania.
What the media are saying
The Guardian’s Stephanie Kirchgaessner saw the American choices as especially significant. For one thing, Archbishops Cupich and Tobin and Bishop Kevin Farrell are seen as more “liberal”. But the choices were also “noteworthy”, Kirchgaessner said, “because of who Francis passed over for promotion” – including Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who recently reaffirmed the Church’s teaching that remarried Catholics must try to live as brother and sister.
Breitbart.com took a similar line: the Pope was “promoting … well-known progressives while snubbing conservatives”, reported Thomas D Williams. Williams noted that a year ago, Archbishop Cupich compared abortion to “other social justice issues such as unemployment” – a view from which Archbishop Chaput distanced himself.
What the Catholic media are saying
At the National Catholic Register, Matthew Bunson said the new cardinals “represent the Pope’s commitment to giving voice to the peripheries, to every corner of the globe”. The cardinals came from all over the world: “Even the lone Italian, Cardinal-elect Mario Zenari, serves as nuncio, or papal ambassador, to war-torn Syria, described by Francis as amata e martoriata (‘beloved and battered’).”
At Lifesitenews, Claire Chretien and Steve Jalsevac took a more pessimistic line. Archbishop Cupich had discouraged priests from taking part in prayer vigils outside abortion clinics; he had also “openly contradicted Catholic canon law” on the Eucharist. After being appointed Archbishop of Chicago, he had defended “giving Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians.”
The most overlooked story of the week
✣Next synod to consider youth and vocations
What happened?
The next synod, in 2018, will focus on “Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment”, the Vatican has announced. The National Catholic Register reported that Pope Francis wanted the synod (a meeting of bishops) to examine a “possible push to allow married priests”, but this was rejected by his advisory council of bishops.
Why was it under-reported?
At first glance, the title sounds like a return to the blander themes of previous synods. Before the meetings of 2014-15, these events were sometimes caricatured as “talking shops”. The two recent synods, however, saw cardinals clashing with each other as they debated momentous questions about the Church’s teaching on marriage.
What will happen next?
Last week’s Vatican statement was brief and doesn’t allow for much newsworthy speculation. The story is unlikely to take off in mainstream media – unless it seems that controversial topics will be up for debate.
the theme reflects several pressing questions. In the West especially, the Church often seems irrelevant to the young. The emphasis on faith reflects Benedict XVI’s priorities, as seen in the 2012-13 Year of Faith. Vocational discernment is clearly an urgent priority, given the lack of priests and religious in many countries.
Some have argued that married men could be ordained in areas with few priests – and have claimed the Pope’s support. But at this stage there is no telling whether the 2018 synod will stray into this territory.
✣The week ahead
Five saints will be canonised on Sunday. They are Elizabeth of the Trinity, the Carmelite nun known as St Thérèse of Lisieux’s “spiritual sister”; Manuel González García, known for his Eucharistic devotion; Guillaume-Nicolas-Louis Leclercq, a French martyr; and two founders – Lodovico Pavoni (the Pavonians) and Alfonso Maria Fusco (the Baptistine Sisters of the Nazarene).
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow will begin a four-day visit to Britain tomorrow. The trip, which includes a meeting with the Queen, is intended to mark 300 years since the Russian Orthodox eparchy was founded in Britain.
Tomorrow in Westminster Cathedral, Aid to the Church in Need will be holding its annual Westminster event. The organisation, which provides help to persecuted Christians around the world, is selling tickets for £10 at acnuk.org. Cardinal Nichols will give opening remarks. Other speakers include Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart and Fr Douglas Bazi.
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