BY ANNA ARCO
POPE BENEDICT XVI announced on Wednesday that he will create 24 new cardinals at a consistory on November 20.
The newly announced curial cardinals include the Pope’s new chief ecumenist the Swiss Archbishop Kurt Koch, the newly appointed prefect for the Congregation of Clergy, Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, and the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Archbishop Angelo Amato. Pope Benedict will also elevate Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, Archbishop Paolo Romeo of Palermo, Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo in Sri Lanka, Archbishop Monsengwo Pasiya of Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw and his fellow countryman Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising. There were other high-profile churchmen on the list: Archbishop Velasio dePaolis, who is the prefect for Economic Affairs of the Holy See, and the newly appointed president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum Archbishop Robert Sarah from Guinea. Archbishop Sarah was the papal emissary to the Central African Republic and recommended the dramatic reform of the local Church.
Archbishop Raymond Burke, the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s highest judicial authority, was also among the names. The Pope said the new cardinals reflected the universality of the Church and asked the faithful to pray for them.
Of the newly named cardinals, 20 are potential cardinal-electors if Pope Benedict XVI were to die and a conclave of cardinals were called. Cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote for the Pope.