Pope Francis creates 13 New Cardinals at Vatican Consistory saying “Compassion is a keyword in the Gospel...It is forever written in the heart of God”. Full Text
13 new Cardinals were created at Consistory in Vatican on Saturday, October 5, 2019.
The word “consistory” comes from the Latin “consistorium”, meaning “a place of assembly” – because the Latin verb “consistere” means, literally, “to stand together”.
(FULL VIDEO of Mass at Bottom of this Post)
Symbols of the consistory
The ceremony includes the presentation of rings and a red hat. The colour itself is a symbol of the blood the Cardinal should be ready to shed, if called to “lay down his life for his sheep”. He is also assigned a titular church in Rome, and his coat of arms may be displayed at the entrance, alongside that of the reigning Pontiff.
Names of the 13 New Cardinals (biographies below):
Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCI, - José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, - Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, - Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, - Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., - Jean-Claude Höllerich, S.J., - Álvaro Leonel Ramazzini Imeri, - Matteo Zuppi,- Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B., - Michael Czerny, S.J., -Michael Louis Fitzgerald, M. Afr., - Sigitas Tamkevičius - Eugenio Dal Corso, P.S.D.P.,
Prior to Saturday's Consistory, the College of Cardinals included 212 members, 118 of whom are electors. Of the new Cardinals, 10 are under the age of 80, which means they are eligible to vote in the conclave that will elect the next Pope. (Above - Edited from VaticanNews.va)
Below Full Text Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis at Consistory:
ORDINARY PUBLIC ORGANIZATION FOR THE CREATION OF THIRTEEN CARDINALS
HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
Vatican Basilica
Saturday, October 5, 2019
At the center of the Gospel story we heard (Mk 6.30-37a) is the "compassion" of Jesus (see verse 34). Compassion, the key word of the Gospel; it is written in the heart of Christ, it is forever written in the heart of God.
In the Gospels we often see Jesus feeling compassion for suffering people. And the more we read, the more we contemplate, and the more we understand that the Lord's compassion is not an occasional, sporadic attitude, but is constant, indeed, it seems to be the attitude of his heart, in which the mercy of God was incarnated.
Mark, for example, reports that when Jesus began to go through Galilee preaching and chasing away demons, "a leper came to him, begging him on his knees and saying to him:" If you want, you can purify me! ". He took pity on him, held out his hand, touched it and said to him: "I want it, be purified!" »(1,40-42). In this gesture and in these words there is the mission of Jesus Redeemer of man: Redeemer in compassion. He embodies God's will to purify the sick human being from the leprosy of sin; He is the "outstretched hand of God" that touches our sick flesh and accomplishes this work by filling the abyss of separation.
Jesus goes to look for the rejected people, those who are now hopeless. Like that paralytic man for thirty-eight years, lying near the pool of Betzatà, waiting in vain for someone to help him to go down into the water (see Jn 5: 1-9).
This compassion has not sprung up at some point in the history of salvation, no, it has always been in God, imprinted in his Father's heart. Let us think of the story of Moses' vocation, for example, when God speaks to him from the burning bush and says to him: "I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt and I heard his cry [...]: I know his sufferings" (Ex 3 , 7). Here is the compassion of the Father!
God's love for his people is all imbued with compassion, to the point that, in this covenant relationship, what is divine is compassionate, while unfortunately it seems that what is human is so devoid of it, so far away. God himself says it: "How could I abandon you, Ephraim, how to surrender yourself to others, Israel? [...] My heart is moved inside me, my intimate trembles with compassion. [...] Because I am God and not man, I am the Saint in your midst and I will not come into my wrath "(Hos 11: 8-9).
Jesus' disciples often demonstrate that they are without compassion, as in this case, faced with the problem of crowds to feed. They basically say: "Let them manage ...". It is a common attitude among us humans, even when we are religious or even religious. We wash our hands. The role we occupy is not enough to make us be compassionate, as is shown by the behavior of the priest and the Levite who, seeing a dying man on the side of the road, passed on to the other side (see Lk 10.31-32). They will have said to themselves: "It is not my place". There is always some excuse, some justification for looking at another side. And when a churchman becomes an official, this is the most bitter outcome. There are always justifications, sometimes they are also codified and give rise to "institutional waste", as in the case of lepers: "Of course, they must stay outside, that's right". So we thought, and so we think. From this very, too human attitude also derive structures of non-compassion.
At this point we can ask ourselves: are we first of all aware that we have been the object of God's compassion? I address you in particular, brother Cardinals and in the process of becoming one: is this awareness alive in you? To have been and to be always preceded and accompanied by his mercy? This consciousness was the permanent state of the immaculate heart of the Virgin Mary, who praised God as "his savior" who "looked upon the humility of his servant" (Lk 1:48).
To me it is so good to reflect myself on the page of Ezekiel 16: the story of God's love with Jerusalem; in that conclusion: "I will establish my covenant with you and you will know that I am the Lord, so that you may remember and be ashamed and, in your confusion, you no longer open your mouth when I have forgiven you what you have done" ( Ez 16.62-63). Or in that other oracle of Hosea: "I will lead you into the desert and speak to your heart. [...] There he will answer me as in the days of his youth, as when he came out of the land of Egypt "(2,16-17). We can ask ourselves: do I feel God's compassion on me? Do I feel that I am a child of compassion?
Is the awareness of this compassion of God alive for us? It is not an optional thing, nor, I would say, of an "evangelical counsel". No. This is an essential requirement. If I do not feel the object of God 's compassion, I do not understand his love. It is not a reality that can be explained. Either I feel it or I don't feel it. And if I don't feel it, how can I communicate it, witness it, give it? In fact, I won't be able to do this. Concretely: do I have compassion for that brother, for that bishop, that priest? ... Or do I always destroy with my attitude of condemnation, of indifference, of looking from a high part, actually to wash my hands?
The ability to be loyal in one's ministry also depends on this living awareness. Even for you, brother Cardinals. The word "compassion" came to my heart at the very moment I started writing to you the letter of September 1st. The willingness of a cardinal to give his own blood - signified by the red color of the suit - is certain when it is rooted in this awareness of having received compassion and in the capacity to have compassion. Otherwise, one cannot be loyal. Many unfair behaviors of churchmen depend on the lack of this sense of compassion received, and on the habit of looking from another side, from the habit of indifference.
Today, through the intercession of the Apostle Peter, we ask for the grace of a compassionate heart, to be witnesses of the One who loved us and loves us, who looked at us with mercy, who elected us, consecrated us and sent us to bring everyone his Gospel of salvation.
FULL TEXT + Image Source: Vatican.va - Unofficial Transation
Biography of New Cardinals by VaticanNews.va:
Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCI, President of the Pontifical Council of Interreligious Dialogue. A member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, Cardinal Guixot has been involved in the dialogue with Islam throughout his priestly ministry. He was involved in the production of the Declaration on Human Fraternity, signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi in February, 2019.
José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, Librarian and Archivist of the Holy Catholic Church. An influential Portuguese author who has published numerous essays, poems, and sermons, he studied theology at the Portuguese Catholic University. In 2018, he was invited by Pope Francis to preach the Lenten retreat for the Roman Curia.
Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta. After serving as Archbishop of Semarang, Indonesia, Cardinal Suharyo was named Archbishop of Jakarta by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. Since 2012 he has been President of the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia.
Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, Archbishop of San Cristóbal de la Habana (Havana, Cuba). Cardinal García Rodríguez was appointed Archbishop of Camegüey, Cuba, in 1997, where he developed evangelization programs and established prison ministries. From 2006-2010 he served as the President of the Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 2016, succeeded Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino as Archbishop of Havana in 2016.
Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Cardinal Besungu made his perpetual profession in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1987. He studied moral theology at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome. In 2019, after serving in several episcopal posts, he was named Archbishop of Kinshasa, succeeding Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya.
Jean-Claude Höllerich, S.J., Archbishop of Luxembourg. Cardinal Höllerich joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1981, taking his perpetual vows in 2002 in Tokyo. He was appointed Archbishop of Luxembourg by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011. He has served as President of the Commission of the Bishops’Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) since 2018.
Álvaro Leonel Ramazzini Imeri, Bishop of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Known for his commitment to social justice issues, Cardinal Ramazzini has spoken out on environmental issues and worked to empower the poor and marginalized. Before his appointment as Bishop of Huehuetenango, he served as Bishop of San Marcos, Guatemala.
Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna. Cardinal Zuppi was named an auxiliary Bishop of Rome by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. He has worked with the Community of Sant’Egidio, a lay Catholic association dedicated to social service. Pope Francis named him Archbishop of Bologna in 2015.
Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B., Archbishop of Rabat. Born in Spain, Cardinal López made his solemn profession as a Salesian of Don Bosco in 1974. Much of his ministry has been spent working within the Order in Paraguay. He was named Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco, in 2017 by Pope Francis. Since May 2019, he has also served as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Tangier.
Michael Czerny, S.J., Under-Secretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Czerny, of Canadian nationality though born in Czechoslovakia, was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1973. He is known especially for his work in favour of migrants and refugees. He was not yet a Bishop when Pope Francis announced that he would be created a Cardinal; he received episcopal consecration from the Holy Father in a special Mass the day before the Consistory.
In addition to these ten prelates, Pope Francis has also chosen to unite to the College of Cardinals two other Archbishops and one other Bishop, who are distinguished for their service to the Church.
Michael Louis Fitzgerald, M. Afr., titular Archbishop of Nepte. An expert in Christian-Muslim relations, the English prelate has served as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and President of the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims. At the time of his retirement in 2012, he was papal nuncio to Egypt, and delegate to the Arab League.
Sigitas Tamkevičius: Archbishop emeritus of Kaunas, Lithuania. Born in 1938, Tamkevičius suffered persecution under the communist regime that ruled his country after the Second World War. He was appointed Archbishop of Kaunas by Pope St John Paul II in 1996.
Eugenio Dal Corso, P.S.D.P., Bishop emeritus of Benguela, Angola. Born in Italy, Dal Corso is a member of the Poor Servants of Divine Providence, and worked as a missionary in Argentina and Angola. He was named Bishop of Saurimo, Angola, by Pope St John Paul II. In 2008 he was appointed Bishop of Benguela by Pope Benedict XVI.
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