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November 28, 2020



Everything is ready for the first Consistory announced by

Pope Francis

for November 28 and 29, for the first time in Streaming due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Pope will deliver the red hat to the thirteen new cardinals, six Italians, of whom nine are "electors" and four are over-eighty. Two new cardinals from the other side of the world will be missing from the appeal who, due to the contingent health situation, will not be able to be present in Rome. In fact, the Filipino Archbishop, Jose F. Advincuta of Capiz, and the apostolic vicar of Brunei, Mons. Cornelius Sim, will also be created cardinals at a distance, connecting with the Vatican Basilica. 



The ongoing health emergency has revolutionized the celebrations of the ordinary public consistory by imposing a very limited participation and some changes even to the strict Vatican protocol. In fact, the traditional courtesy “visits” have been canceled, or called once, “warm visits”, the usual visits of faithful, relatives, friends and supporters; the celebration will be held at the altar of the Chair (and not on the Altar of Confession), and the cardinals will not embrace peace. Even in the absence of the two cardinals, the representative of the Holy Father, at a later time still to be determined, will give them the hat, the ring and the bull with the title. 



Nine, including three Italians, are under eighty years old, and therefore with the right to participate in the next Conclave. They are the Maltese bishop

Mario Grech

, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Mons.Marcello

Semeraro

, bishop emeritus of Albano,

Paolo Augusto Lojudice

, Archbishop of Siena-Colle Val d'Elsa-Montalcino and former auxiliary of Rome,

Father Mauro Gambetti

, Guardian of the Sacred Convent of Assisi. The American

Wilton D. Gregory

, Archbishop of Washington, the Archbishop of Kigali in Rwanda,

Antoine Kambanda

, the Archbishop of Capiz, Philippines,

José F. Advincula

, the Archbishop of Santiago de Chile,

Celestino

will also receive the cardinal's investiture.

Aós Braco

, and the Apostolic Vicar of Brunei,

Cornelius Sim

.


Pope Francis

also added four new non-electoral cardinals, three of whom are Italian. They are the Nuncio Silvano M. Tomasi, the parish priest of the Sanctuary of Divino Amore in Rome,

Mons.Enrico Feroci

(former director of the Caritas Diocesana), Father

Raniero Cantalamessa

, preacher of the Papal Household since 1980, and the bishop emeritus of San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico,

Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel

. 


Among the new cardinals of the Latin American continent, the name of the Capuchin and Spanish psychologist, Celestino Aós Braco, who arrived in Chile in the 1980s, appears. He took over first as "commissioner" and then as Archbishop in Santiago de Chile, bravely facing the scandals of the past on abuse. The new Cardinal was appointed by

Pope Francis

for his resolve and sensitivity, for having been able to stitch together a torn ecclesial fabric with great patience and for being very close to the families of the victims. The cardinal also strongly condemned the violence and attacks perpetrated in recent years on about 60 Chilean churches, in some cases looted and burned. The prelate has restored balance to the Chilean capital, also burdened by social problems and, now, by the health emergency.  



In his previous six consistories,

Pope Francis

created 88 new cardinals including 70 new electors, from 56 different nations, 16 of which had never had a cardinal before. 



We met Don Roberto Regoli, Professor of the Gregorian University and Full Professor of Church History.