Round-up: Cardinals-designate around the world in the news

With less than two weeks left before 15 new Princes of the Church are created, I've decided to put some time aside and try to find out what our new Cardinals-designate have been doing since the announcement was made.

Well, they've been busy.



First, our two American prelates:

Archbishop William Levada

• discussed in a recent homily gay priests and whether they are able to represent Christ through their vocation. The general consensus seems to be that the CNS article did not give detailed enough coverage of the homily. Reactions: Richard John Neuhaus, Carl Olson, Domenico Bettinelli.

Archbishop Sean O'Malley

• has been given very extensive coverage in the Boston Globe [and Dom responds].
• Ken Hartnett thinks overall this coverage has been skewed [and Dom responds].
• Either way, it does seem that O'Malley is accepting this great honor with some trepidation (the poor guy has, after all, been facing a monumental task in saving Boston).

Now, the Cardinals-designate around the world:

Franc Rode

• Slovenian Archbishop and the only Eastern European among the Cardinals-designate.
• Currently prefect for the Congregation for the Institutes for Consecrated Life.
• Recently talked about the need for "spiritual reform" to begin with the men and women religious of the world. Catholic News Service has the story.

Agostino Vallini

• From Naples, Italy. He is the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura.
• News about Vallini is scarce, but the New Catholic Dictionary and Wikipedia explain the Apostolic Signatura.
• Update: the Canon Law Society of America has a short biography of him (scroll down the page to read it).

Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino

• From Venezuela
• Very enthusiastic about renewing the Church in Venezuela. Read more.
• Good quote: "He conceded he was overwhelmed by the significant responsibilities he will have to face as Cardinal, such as "living the Gospel deeply, being a good person, working hard, and completing our major task: evangelization and announcement of Jesus Christ." I love it.
• Nice photo, too.
• More: "[He] has been trying to soothe church-state relations in Venezuela, which have been strained during the presidency of Hugo Chavez, by shifting the church's attention away from partisan politics and toward the larger moral and social issues in the country."

Gaudencio B. Rosales

• From the Philippines
• Quick to reiterate his "commitment to the poor."
• Interesting point made in the article: "The three new Asian appointments are a signal that the Church intends to renew its missionary spirit in the continent."
• The Cardinal-designate has been calling for "calm and unity" after a recent declaration of a state of emergency by the President because of political turmoil in that country.
• This unrest has included the threat of arresting Archbishop Oscar Cruz and several other bishops.

Jean-Pierre Ricard

• From Bordeaux, France. He is the president of the French Bishop's conference.
• Recently participated in a march against racism and anti-semitism in France.
• John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter does his best to introduce the man - (though I don't agree entirely with his take - scroll down a ways to find his coverage).
• A couple quotes from the article: "He has criticized Catholic Action in France for being too wrapped up in matters of social justice and forgetting the gospel." and also: "He is notoriously slow to anger, capable of absorbing criticism without taking it personally. His priests in Montpellier nicknamed him edredon - meaning a big fluffy blanket. The idea is that he covers you in warmth, no matter what you say or do. "

Antonio Canizares

• From Toledo, Spain
• Gave a great interview on Zenit answering some questions and talking about his common ickname, the "little Ratzinger."
• More: "In Spain, he helped organize recent public protests against gay marriage and has been outspoken in opposition to measures that would legalize euthanasia and embryonic research and grant wider access to abortion." And: "Moreover, the Spanish archbishop has been insistent about the need to restore Europe's Christian roots, sharply criticizing the idea that modern society can relegate the church and the faith to a strictly private sphere."

Nicolas Cheong-Jin-Suk

• From South Korea has been very active in the news, telling Communist North Korea that they will never get a Papal visit until they allow priests openly through their borders, while still pledging aid to those in need.
• He has called his appointment a "sign of the new standing of the Korean church and the nation itself" and wants to re-unite the two Koreas.
• Finally, he believes in showing up at the party earliy: he's already flown to Rome and will be delivering an address at the Urbano commemorating the 40th anniversary of Ad Gentes among other things.
• More: "[he] made headlines last year when he voiced moral objections in a personal meeting with Hwang Woo-suk, a cloning scientist whose research was later discredited. The Seoul archbishop also has openly discussed the need for future evangelization in North Korea."

Stanislaw Dziwisz

• From Krakow, Poland. He is the late secretary of John Paul II.
• Attended the premier of the new movie about the late Pontiff played by Jon Voight.
• Progress has also been made on the investigation Dziwisz started examining the possibility that some clerics cooperated with the Communist secret police in trying to assassinate Pope John Paul II.
• Polish radio has an insightful piece on Dziwisz's elevation.

Carlo Caffarra

• From Bologna, Italy (and has already been nominated as "most stylish" Cardinal-designate by many)
• Known as an outspoken "cultural warrior" who (CNS) "[speaks] out strongly on issues like abortion and gay marriage. One of his more frequently quoted teachings is that when society legally recognizes gay marriage it is in effect saying: "We no longer have hope, we are allied with death."
• Pope Benedict specially greeted and described Caffarra as a "long-standing friend" at the beginning of the Pope's recent address on the Human Embryo.

Joseph Zen

• From Hong Kong, He has been covered the most in mainstream news, primarily because he is an outspoken critic of the oppressive practices of the Chinese communist government.
• In a "real hoot" move (as Cardinal Pell would say), the leader of China's state-controlled Church has said he objected to Zen being made a cardinal of the church still officially loyal to Rome. Yeah, I bet he does.
• Oh well, the Chinese underground is thrilled.
• Cardinal Zen, for his own part, has responded to his detractors with a letter. The full letter is here.
• A good quote: "Bishop Zen reminds himself and Mr. Liu that both are above seventy years of age and the day is not far away when they will have to meet the Heavenly Judge. May this thought counsel more wisdom in all their decisions!" Amen.

Now the Cardinals-designate over 80:

Andrea Cordero Lanza Di Montezemolo

• He is the archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls.
• He is retired diplomat (to places such as Jerusalem and Palestine).
• He designed Pope Benedict XVI's coat of arms (and explains their significance).

Peter Poreku Dery

• He is the archbishop emeritus of Tamale, Ghana, and was also the Apostolic nuncio to Ghana.
• He is the first African to be elected to the college of Cardinals by Pope Benedict.
• News in Ghana has an article describing the announcement ceremony celebrated for him.
• Favorite quote: "Nobody points at an elephant to a child. Cardinal-Elect Dery deserves the elevation. This is only good enough to justify the good works of him."

Albert Vanhoye

• He is the former Jesuit rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.
• He was a longtime collaborator of the Pope Benedict while he was still Cardinal Ratzinger and served as secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission when Cardinal Ratzinger was president.
• America Magazine has a small biography of him (scroll down the page).
• Here is an interview with him about the Bible and the Church.

LifeSite has its own round-up of statements regarding life issues made by the new Cardinals-designate.

Several statements were taken from this recommended article at Catholic News Service.

And remember, I've already found and posted photos of all the Cardinals: Under 80 & Over 80.

[photo source: David Kamerman/Globe Staff]