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Pope Francis to 20 New Cardinals—Jesus Asks You: ‘Can I Count On You?’

Currents News Staff

In a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis welcomed 20 new men into the College of Cardinals.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, greeted the Pope on behalf of all the new cardinals. He spoke about their new mission of helping Pope Francis carry the cross of responsibility for the Church.

“With great joy, we wish to walk at your side knowing that you have been entrusted with the keys of the Kingdom. It is with gratitude and trepidation, therefore, Holy Father, that we offer you our profound respect and our obedience and, should the Lord wish it, even to the shedding of our blood,” said Cardinal Arthur Roche.

During his homily, the Pope reflected on the dual image of fire in the Gospels. He encouraged the newly appointed cardinals to be animated by the fire of the Holy Spirit to fulfill their mission within the Church.

“Jesus also wants to cast this fire on the earth today; he wants to light it again on the shores of our daily stories. He calls us, each of us, by name. We are not numbers. He calls us by name. He looks into our eyes each one of us, let us look into our eyes and he asks: tell me, you, new cardinals and you, brother cardinals: can I count on you? That is the Lord’s question,” said the Holy Father.

Pope Francis reminded the 20 men to keep their gaze on Christ to help them in their humble service to families, migrants, and the poor.

Each of the new cardinals knelt before the Pope to receive the zucchetto, berretta, and ring as signs of their pastoral ties to the Church. Pope Francis then greeted each cardinal with an embrace of peace.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 08/26/22

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How the Balance in the College of Cardinals Will Change After the Consistory

Currents News Staff

After the August consistory, the number of cardinals rises to 227; 132 of them will be electors. In the 2013 conclave, there were 117 electors and two did not attend.

It’s not just a question of quantity, however. What has changed in the College of Cardinals in these last 9 years is the nationality of the cardinals.

For example, in 2013, Asia and Oceania had 11 cardinal electors. After the consistory, they had 24 and some came from areas where there have never been cardinals before, such as Tonga and Papua New Guinea.

“On the one hand, it responds to a need of this pontificate, which has always talked about emphasizing the peripheries and putting them on the front lines; on the other hand, it favors candidates who have a strong knowledge of the local areas but less of the universal Church,” said Fr. Roberto Regoli, a historian at Pontifical Gregorian University.

Europe does not change much in terms of numbers, going from 60 to 54. However, there is a drop in the number of Italian electors. In 2013, there were 28 and as of Saturday, the number will drop to 21. By the end of next year, another 7 will reach the elector age limit, and the figure will be reduced to only 14.

Of the 132 electors, approximately 36 work or worked in the curia, so their presence continues to carry a lot of weight.

Lastly—as of the August 27 consistory—almost 60% of the cardinal electors were chosen by Pope Francis.

Meet America’s Next Cardinal: Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego

Currents News Staff

They’re known as the “princes of the Church.”

Cardinals come from every corner of the world to help the pope guide the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, and most importantly, elect his successor.

Among the 20 cardinals most recently named by Pope Francis, only one comes from the United States, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego.

He says his nomination is a chance to bring the American Catholic community closer to the global Church.

“We in the United States tend to be very focused on the United States, we in our own diocese tend to be focused on our own diocese, and one of the contributions which in the role of Cardinals we can make is to point with some constancy to that idea that we are a part of a universal community of faith and part of a universal human family,” McElroy said.

A native of San Francisco, McElroy became bishop of San Diego in 2015, where he has attempted to apply the focus of Pope Francis’ pontificate on caring for migrants and the environment into his own community.

“We as a community of faith in San Diego have tried to sow some of the seeds of the renewal that he talks about, and has tried to move the Church toward the idea of missionary discipleship. The emphasis on pastoral theology has been exceedingly important in the life of the Church alongside of doctrine and biblical theology,” he added.

Pope Francis has said that he would consider stepping down from the papacy if he felt unable to govern the Church. In that case, Cardinal-designate McElroy will be one of the electors who select the next pope.

He says that whoever fills the Pope Francis’ shoes should aim to more fully implement his efforts to build a more inclusive Church attentive to the needs of the forgotten.

“I would hope the trajectories of the renewal Pope Francis has begun would be a high priority in seeking the next pope. I hope that would be many years down the road, but it’ll still be important to try to bring those currents more fully into the life of the Church at all levels,” he continued.

Bishop McElroy will become one of 16 Americans in the College of Cardinals, and at 68-years-old, he will be one of the 132 cardinals under 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a papal conclave.

Boston Children’s Hospital Establishes Nation’s First Youth Gender Surgery Center; Critics Say ‘There Isn’t a Lot of Science Going On Here’

Currents News Staff

One of the nation’s best hospitals, Boston Children’s Hospital, is now the first major pediatric hospital in the country to establish a gender surgery center.

According to their website, the center currently offers vaginoplasty, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, chest reconstruction, breast augmentation, facial harmonization, and other gender affirmation surgeries to eligible patients.

All genital surgeries are only performed on patients 18 and up, but patients who want to pursue other surgeries could be as young as 15 if they meet eligibility requirements.

To talk more about this, we are joined by Dr. Patrick Lappert. Dr. Lappert is a plastic surgeon and member of the Catholic Medical Association, who’s also a Deacon in the Diocese of Birmingham.

St Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy to Open New Early Childhood Center

If you’re still looking for the perfect school for your child, St Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy in Windsor Terrace is offering a sneak peek into its newest program.

The academy’s brand-new early childhood center is set to open this fall with the rollout of universal pre-k.

With pre-k-3 and pre-k-4 classes available, the new center introduces children to a progressive, student-centered environment.

Chaplain’s Sainthood Cause Stalled, Consultants Recommend Suspension Citing Several Concerns

Currents News Staff

Consultants picked by the Pope have stalled the sainthood cause for a Staten Island born Navy chaplain.

Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno, affectionately known as “the Grunt Padre”, died while helping the marines in combat in Vietnam.

His heroism earned him the highest military award, the Medal of Honor, and efforts to get him canonized.

Theological consultants have suggested a suspension of the cause, citing serval concerns about whether Father Capodanno should be a saint.

The first is on Father Capodanno’s ‘Positio’ – the formal brief arguing for his canonization.

They are concerned that it focuses on his last year of life and does not provide a full picture of the required “virtuous life.”

Second is that as a Maryknoll missionary, the Grunt Padre objected to being sent to Hong Kong– signaling disobedience.

They were also worried that Maryknoll did not pursue his sainthood cause.

Consultants noted Father Capodanno was fastidious about his appearance, a possible sign of sinful pride.

And finally, they worry venerating service members may not be appropriate for the church.

The recommendation by the theological consultants is under consideration by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.

That group ultimately decides whether a case moves on to the pope. But experts say the Grunt Padre’s cause still has a fighting chance.

The Tablet newspaper spoke with Monsignor Robert Sarno, a Brooklyn native who retired as an official with the dicastery after almost 40 years of service.

He contests each of the consultant’s recommendations and tells us more about why the vote for suspension could be reversed.