Pope picks a diverse group of new cardinals

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday named 23 new Roman Catholic cardinals, beefing up the group that is expected to eventually choose his successor.

The new “princes” of the Catholic Church, as cardinals are called, come from the United States, Europe and three other continents, reflecting what the pope said was the universality of the church “and the multiplicity of its missions.”

They will be formally installed and bestowed their distinctive red hats in a special ceremony known as a consistory on Nov. 24, the 80-year-old pope said.

Eighteen of the new cardinals are eligible to serve in the conclave that elects a successor after the death of a sitting pope, one of their most important roles. The other five cannot vote because they are 80 or older.

The church’s senior prelate in Iraq, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly, was among the cardinals named Wednesday. His elevation was seen as a gesture of support for the beleaguered Christian community in that war-ravaged country, a key source of concern for Benedict.

Emmanuel has gotten the Vatican’s attention by frequently warning that the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity, may soon be without Christians.

He recently denounced what he called a campaign by Muslim fanatics to eliminate the 2,000-year Christian presence in Mesopotamia, with thousands of Christians killed, kidnapped and driven into exile. Christians in Iraq today make up a tiny fraction of their 1.5-million-strong population before the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

Two Americans were among the newly named cardinals younger than 80: the archbishop of Houston, Msgr. Daniel N. DiNardo, 58, and Archbishop John P. Foley, 71, a veteran Vatican official who until recently handled broadcast media relations for the Holy See. Foley, a gregarious Philadelphia native, is the grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, a lay religious organization that works on behalf of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

Their elevations bring to 13 the number of American cardinals who are electors, including Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles. Four other Americans now are among the nonvoting cardinals.

This is the second batch of cardinals named by Benedict since he assumed the papacy in 2005. With this group, the cardinal electors will number 121, one more than the limit set by Pope Paul VI. The total number of cardinals, including those 80 and older, will be 202.

Most members of the new group are from Europe, reflecting Benedict’s emphasis on reviving traditional Catholicism on a continent he considers awash in nonreligious secularism.

In addition, three are from Latin America: Argentine Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, 63, a longtime Vatican official; Archbishop Francisco Robles Ortega, 58, of Monterrey, Mexico; and Archbishop Odilio Pedro Scherer, 58, of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Several new cardinals are from India and Africa.

Sandri was frequently at the side of the late Pope John Paul II. In that pontiff’s final years, Sandri stepped in to deliver speeches when John Paul could not.

Popes name cardinals to reward individual prelates for extraordinary service, to reach out to particular communities or to elevate the status of certain dioceses.

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wilkinson@latimes.com

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New Roman Catholic cardinals

Here is the list of Roman Catholic cardinals named by Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday, as translated and supplied by the Catholic News Service:

Argentine Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, who will turn 64 on Nov. 18.

U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, who will turn 72 on Nov. 11.

Italian Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, president of the commission governing Vatican City, 72.

German Archbishop Paul Joseph Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, 73.

Italian Archbishop Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and papal vicar for Vatican City, 64.

Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, 62.

Italian Archbishop Raffaele Farina, archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church, 74.

Spanish Archbishop Agustin Garcia-Gasco Vicente of Valencia, 76.

Irish Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, primate of all Ireland, 68.

Spanish Archbishop Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona, 70.

French Archbishop Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris, who will turn 65 on Nov. 7.

Italian Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, 64.

Senegalese Archbishop Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, who will be 71 on Nov. 28.

Indian Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, 62.

Mexican Archbishop Francisco Robles Ortega of Monterrey, 58.

U.S. Archbishop Daniel N. DiNardo of Houston, 58.

Brazilian Archbishop Odilio Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo, 58.

Kenyan Archbishop John Njue of Nairobi, 63.

New cardinals not eligible to vote for pope because of their advanced age:

Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Baghdad, 80.

Retired Italian Archbishop Giovanni Coppa, former Vatican nuncio, who will turn 82 on Nov. 9.

Retired Archbishop Estanislao Esteban Karlic of Parana, Argentina, 81.

Spanish Jesuit Father Urbano Navarrete, former rector of Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, 87.

Italian Franciscan Father Umberto Betti, former rector of Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University, 85.

Source: Catholic News Service