Pope Benedict XVI has named 24 Catholic archbishops as cardinals, the Vatican announced 20 October. Ten of the newly named cardinals are Italian, two are American and one, Archbishop Kurt Koch, is Swiss. Commentators note that very few of those named by Benedict are from developing countries, which now account for two-thirds of the Catholic believers. They will be elevated in a ceremony in Rome 20 November.
The Pope names cardinals to the College of Cardinals who will vote for the next pope. Only cardinals below the age of 80 may elect a new pope.
Links to other sites: Guardian, Reuters, Wall Street Journal
Source: RomeReports.com
The UK Roman Catholic Church is still some £3.8mn away from covering the cost of Pope Benedict’ XVI’s 4-day trip to the United Kingdom, scheduled to begin 16 September. As the pope gets ready for the first papal state visit since the Reformation, church officials have said that they could sell another 10,000 “pilgrim passes”—entry tickets to cover transportation and security costs—to the pope’s mass and beatification of Cardinal John Newman, an Anglican convert.
Catholics in Great Britain represent about 10 percent of the population. The previous visit by Pope John Paul II was deemed only a pastoral visit.
Links to other sites: Daily Telegraph, Economist, Guardian
Cardinal Peter Turkson, of Cape Coast, Ghana has been named to be president of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace by Pope Benedict XVI 24 October at a special meeting in the Vatican to promote peace and justice in Africa. Cardinal Turkson,61, is Ghana’s first cardinal.
The justice and peace council was formed after the Second Vatican Council to promote peace and justice in the world by working with other groups, Catholic or not, to attain those objectives. Cardinal Turkson is considered a leading light in Vatican circles. He studied theology at St. Anthony-on-the-Hudson in Rensselaer, New York. He was ordained archbishop of Cape Coast at the age of 44. Catholic News Service, Catholic Online
