BBC News, 24
November 2012
Three of the new cardinals comes from countries with large Muslimpopulations |
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Stories
Pope
Benedict XVI has appointed six priests from non-European countries to be
cardinals, at a service in the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica.
The
cardinals, the closest aides of the Pope, come from the Philippines, India,
Lebanon, Nigeria, Colombia and the US.
Analysts
say it is unusual for the Pope to select only non-Europeans.
The Pope
told the congregation that the Catholic Church belongs to the whole human race,
not just one group, and was a church for all peoples.
Those being
presented at the consistory, or cardinal-making ceremony, were:
- US Archbishop James Harvey, 63, prefect of the papal household
- Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, 72
- Indian Archbishop Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, 53, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
- Nigerian Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, 68
- Colombian Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, 70
- Philippine Archbishop Luis Tagle of Manila, 55
All six new
cardinals are younger than 80 and therefore will likely be eligible to vote for
a new Pope when the current pontiff dies.
Three are
from countries with large Muslim populations - India, Lebanon and Nigeria.
Cheers
broke out among the supporters of each cardinal-designate as the Pope presented
them with the gold rings at the consistory and the red hats and vestments,
which symbolise their readiness to shed their blood to defend their Christian
faith.
Inter-faith
dialogue
Pope
Benedict has previously faced criticism for appointing mainly Europeans as
cardinals, despite the Church's estimate that less than a quarter of the
world's Catholics live in Europe.
The appointments aim to better reflect the international character of the Church |
By adding
six non-Europeans to the number of 114 cardinal electors, the Pope has slightly
shifted the geographical demographic of the body which will ultimately choose
his successor, though Europeans still make up the majority, at 51%.
Cardinal-designate
John Onaiyekan is the archbishop of Abuja in Nigeria, where Christians and
Muslims each make up about half the population, and dialogue between the two
faiths is increasingly important, says the BBC's David Willey in Rome.
He says the
Pope's elevation of Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al Rahi, the head of the Maronite
Church - an ancient Lebanese Christian Church in communion with Rome - is seen
as a sign of Vatican support for religious diversity in Lebanon.
The Pope
has called on Christians to remain in the Middle East despite rising Islamism,
and during a visit to Beirut in September, said Lebanon was a model for the
region.
Before
Saturday's ceremony, Pope Benedict met Lebanese President Michel Sleiman. A
representative of the Shia militant group Hezbollah, which is part of the
Lebanese government, was also attending Saturday's ceremony.
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Based in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.)
"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Based in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.)
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