Next consistory now expected
to be called in November -
and the likely candidates
by Andrea Tornielli
Translated from
February 27, 2010
ROME - The next consistory expected in November will introduce new cardinals who will considerably change the balance in the College of Cardinals for the next Conclave.
According to information 'leaked' by authoritative Vatican sources, the consistory may be held by November 20, to be announced one month earlier, at the time of the Special Synodal Assembly on the Middle East.
Benedict XVI may name as many as 24 new cardinals in the third consistory of his Pontificate (the first two were in March 2006 and in November 2007).
By the end of November 2010, in fact, there will be 19 vacancies among the 120 cardinal electors - those under age 80 - whereas another five will turn 80 in early 2011, including Cardinal Camillo Ruini.
Therefore, Papa Ratzinger could conceivably name more than 19 in November even though this would exceed the 120 limit for cardinal electors, since this number would come down to 120 within three months of the consistory.
There are a number of Italians who are in line for the red hat. In the Roman Curia, for sure: Monsignors Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Sainthood; Velasio De Paolis, president of the Holy See's Prefecture for Economic Affairs; Fortunato Baldelli, Major Penitentiary, who was until recently Apostolic Nuncio in France; and probably, Paolo Sardi, Pro-patron of the Sovereign Order of Malta, and Francesco Monterisi, Arch priest of teh Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls.
Other possible candidates are Monsignors Francesco Coccopalmiero, president of the Council for the Interpretation of Legislative texts; Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants; and Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
Then there are the diocesan bishops: Archbishops Paolo Romeo of Palermo, Giuseppe Betori of Florence, and whoever will be named the new Archbishop of Turin after Cardinal Severino Poletto retires.
Since it is unlikely that more than half of the new nominations will be Italian, some of the names listed above will not make it.
The Pope is likely to name non-Italians in the Curia, notably Archbishop Raymond Burke of the United States, who is prefect of the Apostolic Segnatura - considered a certainty; and possibly, Mons. Zygmunt Zymowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Ministry to Healthcare Workers.
Not to mention the incoming successors to five Curial heads due for canonical retirement soon - Bishops, Clergy, Evangelization, Religious, and Christian Unity - unless the new heads to be named are already cardinals.
Among the non-Italian diocesan bishops, the most likely to be named cardinals in November are Archbishops Reinhard Marx (Munich-Freising), Kazimierz Nycz (Warsaw), Timothy Michael Dolan (New York), Orani João Tempesta (Rio de Janeiro), and Thomas Collins (Toronto).
Strong possibilities are: for Europe - Archbishops Vincent Nichols (London); André-Mutien Léonard (Brussels), Dominik Duka (Prague); and the archbishops of Toledo and Sevilla in Spain; in Latin America- the archbishops of Montevideo(Uruguay), Asuncion (Paraguay), and Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Brasilia (Brazil); in Asia - Malcolm Ranjith (Colombo), Peter Okada (Tokyo), and Charles Maung Bo (Yangon, Myanmar); in Africa, the archbishops of Kampala, Kinshasa e Yaoundé; and in the Middle East, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal.
Franca Giansoldati in Il Messaggero says the most likely date for the consistory is November 24, Feast of Christ the King. She also notes that there are currently 182 cardinals, of whom 71 are aged 80 and above. [God gives long life to his bishops!]
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 27/02/2010 16:01]