Pope Benedict XVI announces his fourth consistory to appoint new cardinals

Pope Benedict XVI announced today for the next 18 and 19 February the holding of the fourth Consistory of his pontificate to the appointment of 22 new cardinals, including the Saints April Spanish and Castelló and the Brazilian Joao Braz de Altis.

The Pope made this announcement during the recitation of the Angelus before a crowded plaza of St. Peter in the Vatican on the occasion of the Epiphany of the Lord which takes place this Friday.

Between those 22 new cardinals there are four which have more than 80 years, so it may not take part in an eventual papal conclave to elect a new Pope in the Vatican Sistine Chapel, but yes may be elected popes, and eighteen that do participate in the vote, among them April and Castelló and Altis Braz.

April and Castelló (Alfambra, Teruel 1935), titular Archbishop of Tamada, Archpriest of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome and vicecamarlengo of the camera is currently u000aApostolic.

Ordained a priest in March 1960, the Spanish Archbishop has a degree in social sciences and Canon law and has worked for the diplomatic service of the Holy see as apostolic nuncio in Bolivia, Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, Yugoslavia, Argentina, and Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia.

Joao Braz of Altis (Mafra, 1947), Archbishop Emeritus of Brasilia, is from a year ago prefect of the Congregation for institutes of consecrated life and the society of apostolic life, which had to give up the pastoral of the Archdiocese of Havana Government Brazilian.

Ordained a priest in November 1972, the new Brazilian Cardinal has studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and has been Auxiliary Bishop of Vitória, and titular bishop of Flenucleta, as well as Punta Grossa Bishop and Archbishop of Maringá.

With these appointments, the College of Cardinals goes to 214 u000aMembers, 125 voters and 89 with more than 80 years, so it may not choose in a possible papal conclave in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican.

Europe happens to be the geographic area represented, with 119 Cardinals, among them the 10 Spanish as Antonio María Rouco Varela or Lluís Martínez Sistach prelates, including electoral capacity 5 and 5 over the 80 years of age.

Latin America happens to have 32 Cardinals, 22 voters and 10 more than 80 years, with Brazil in the lead, with 10 prelates, followed by Mexico and Argentina (4 each), Colombia and Chile (2) and Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico, with 1 each.

Among the new cardinals who will be appointed next month there are seven Italians, such as the Archbishop of Florence, Giuseppe Betori, as well as two Germans, a Portuguese and a Maltese, as well as Americans Timothy Michael Doha, Archbishop of New York, and u000aEdwin Frederik O'Brien, pro-Grandmaster of the order Equestrian of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

The four new cardinals over 80 years of age are the Romanian Lucian Mureşan, the Belgian Julien Ries, Prosper Grech Maltese and German Karl Becker.

Acts of the consistory of February for the appointment of new cardinals, that happens to the November 2007 to 2010 and the March 2006 under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, are carried out for two days and conclude with a solemn mass.

Share this article

Digg it!

del.icio.us

MySpace

Facebook

Fark

Reddit

Newsvine