15 to be knighted as Princes of the Church

Today, Friday the 24th of March 2006 @ 10:30am (5:30pm Singapore time) - our Holy Father, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will preside over his first Ordinary Public Consistory in the Paul VI Audience Hall. He will elevate 13 Archbishops, 1 Bishop & 1 Priest, to the dignity of Cardinal - a grand total of 15 Cardinals!

The last consistory was held on 21st October 2003, presided by Pope John Paul II.

Out of the 15 Cardinals-to-be, 12 will join the other 108 as Member-Electors of the College of Cardinals, bringing the tally to 120 (as decreed by Pope Paul VI in 1973 - cf. AAS 65, p. 163).

The 12 to be appointed Member-Electors of the College of Cardinals are:

1. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Archbishop William Joseph Levada
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
President of International Theological Commission
President of Pontifical Biblical Commission

2. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Archbishop Franc Rodé, C.M.
Prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life

3. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Archbishop Agostino Vallini
Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura

4. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino
Archbishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela

5. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Gaudencio Borbon Rosales
Archbishop of Manila, the Philippines

6. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Jean-Pierre Bernard Ricard
Archbishop of Bordeaux, France

7. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Antonio Cañizares Llovera
Archbishop of Toledo, Spain

8. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Nicholas Cheong Jin-Suk
Archbishop of Seoul, Korea, Apostolic Administrator of P'yong-yang

9. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Boston, U.S.A.

10. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Stanis³aw Dziwisz
Archbishop of Krakow, Poland

11. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Carlo Caffarra
Archbishop of Bologna, Italy

12. His Grace, The Most Reverend Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B.
Bishop of Hong Kong, China


The other 3 - who are older than the age of 80 - will be appointed Cardinal "out of esteem for the services they have rendered to the Church with exemplary faithfulness and admirable dedication."

1. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo
Titular See: Archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls
Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Italy
Titular Archbishop of Tuscania

2. His Excellency, The Most Reverend Peter Proeku Dery
Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale, Ghana

3. The Reverend Albert Vanhoye, S.J.
Secretary Emeritus of the Pontifical Biblical Commission
Former Rector of the Pontifical Institute the Biblicum
Priest of Society of Jesus

We pray for them, and we praise & thank God!

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Tomorrow, Saturday the 25th of March
@ 10:30am (5:30pm Singapore Time) - on
the Solemnity of the Annunciation - all the
Members of the College of Cardinals will
partake in a Solemn Concelebration Mass
with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican Basilica.

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Be sure to tune in to the Vatican Television Center later to witness the ceremony - live!