Pope creates 22 cardinals amid Vatican tensions
VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI led a solemn ceremony in Saint Peter’s Basilica to induct 22 new cardinals into the prestigious college that will one day elect his successor.
The 84-year-old pope, who entered the vast basilica on a rolling platform wearing red and gold vestments, presented the new “princes of the Church” with scarlet-red birettas and gold rings during the consistory that Vatican observers say could increase the chances of the next pope being Italian.
The new cardinals “are asked to serve the Church with love and vigour, with the clarity and wisdom of masters, with the energy and moral force of pastors (and) with the faith and courage of martyrs,” the pope said.
Eighteen of the 22 newcomers are under 80, the cut-off age for cardinal electors.
Critics say the appointments show a strong bias towards Europe as out of the 125 “elector cardinals,” 67 are now from Europe, with just 22 from South America, 15 from North America, 11 from Africa and 10 from Asia and the Pacific.
Of the electors, 63 have been named by the German pope and the other 62 by his Polish predecessor John Paul II.
The nomination of seven Italians in Benedict’s fourth consistory also brings to 30 the elector cardinals from Italy – almost a quarter of the total, far outweighing any other country.
Some observers say the Vatican’s increasingly powerful Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone is behind the promotion of Italians up the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy.
The vast majority of previous popes – more than 200 – have been from Italy.
The new cardinals include 16 Europeans, two Americans, one Canadian, a Brazilian, an Indian and a Hong Kong Chinese.
Among the key appointments is New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins, as well as the bishop of Hong Kong, Johntonghon, andarchbishop George Alencherry from India. — AFP