Scottish Catholic Observer

The Pope made the announcement after today’s general audience and he will officially promote the archbishops—including many Italians, two prominent US clergymen and key European appointments but not including Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster—to the rank of cardinal on November 20 in a ceremony known as a consistory.

The US Cardinal-designates are Archbishops Donald Wuerl (pictured above right) and Raymond Burke (pictured above left), who is the head of the Vatican’s Supreme Court and has shown has anger at the Democratic party in America for their support of abortion.

The Pope had this to say about the appointments: “The universality of the Church is reflected in the list of new cardinals. In fact, they come from various parts of the world and fulfill different tasks in the service of the Holy See or in direct contact with the people of God as fathers and pastors of particular churches.”

Cardinals are chief advisers to the Pope, but their main duty is to help elect a new Pope after the passing of the incumbent. To be eligible to vote in a Vatican conclave, a cardinal has to be younger than 80 years old. The four new appointees who are not eligible have been appointed cardinals due to their long-standing service to the Church.

The majority of the cardinals to be appointed are Italian, eight of voting age bringing the total of Italian cardinals up to 25, almost half of the European body who can vote. This increases Italy’s chances of the next Pope being an Italian. The remaining new cardinals come from a variety of different locations, including: Egypt, Congo, Sri Lanka, and Zaire.

The maximum number of cardinals with voting rights allowed is 120 and the new appointments will take that total to 121. However in January next year one of the existing cardinals will lose his eligibility to vote.

The complete list of new cardinals:

— Italian Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints Causes, a Salesian, 72. (DOB 6/8/1938)

— Coptic Patriarch Antonios Naguib of Alexandria, Egypt, 75. (DOB 3/7/1935)

— Guinean Archbishop Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, 65. (DOB 6/15/1945)

— Italian Archbishop Francesco Monterisi, archpriest of Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, 76. (DOB 5/28/1934)

— Italian Archbishop Fortunato Baldelli, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, 75. (DOB 8/6/1935)

— US Archbishop Raymond L Burke, head of Apostolic Signature, 62. (DOB 6/30/1948)

— Swiss Archbishop Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, 60. (DOB 3/15/1950)

— Italian Archbishop Paolo Sardi, pro-patron of Knights of Malta, 76. (DOB 9/1/1934)

— Italian Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, 66. (DOB 9/15/1944)

— Italian Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, a Scalabrinian, 75. (DOB 9/19/1935)

— Italian Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, 68. (DOB 10/18/1942)

— Zambian Archbishop Medardo Joseph Mazombwe, retired archbishop of Lusaka, 79. (DOB 9/24/1931)

— Ecuadorean Archbishop Raul Eduardo Vela Chiriboga, retired archbishop of Quito, 76. (DOB 1/1/1934)

— Congolese Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, 71. (DOB 10/7/1939)

— Italian Archbishop Paolo Romeo of Palermo, 72. (DOB 2/20/1938)

— US Archbishop Donald W Wuerl of Washington, 69. (DOB 11/12/1940)

— Brazilian Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, 73. (DOB 2/15/1937)

— Polish Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw, 60. (DOB 2/1/1950)

— Sri Lankan Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don of Colombo, 62. (DOB 11/15/1947)

— German Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, 57. (DOB 9/21/1953)

The Archbishops over the age of 80:

— Spanish Archbishop Jose Manuel Estepa Llaurens, former military ordinary of Spain, 84. (DOB 1/1/1926)

— Italian Bishop Elio Sgreccia, retired president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, 82. (DOB 6/6/1928)

— German Mgr Walter Brandmuller, retired president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, 81. (DOB 1/26/1929)

— Italian Mgr Domenico Bartolucci, retired director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, 93. (DOB 5/7/1917)