Pope to create 22 new cardinals, including an Indian

(February 17, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI will hold a consistory in the Vatican on Saturday to create 22 new cardinals. Among them are two Asians – Indian Major Archbishop George Alencherry of Ernakulam-Angamaly, the head of the eastern-rite Syro-Malabar Catholic Church based in India, and Bishop John Tong Hon of Hong Kong. The consistory, which is a gathering of cardinals together with the Pope, will take place in St. Peter’s Basilica Saturday morning, when the 22 candidates will be formally proclaimed cardinals, conferred the red hat and the ring, and will be assigned a title or deaconry. The bulk of the new cardinals – 16 - are from Europe. Four are from the Americas. Following Saturday’s consistory, the total number of cardinals worldwide will stand at 213, of whom 125 are below 80 years of age, and hence are eligible to participate in a conclave to vote for a new Pope. India will have 6 cardinals, with Cardinals Simon Pimenta and Simon Lourdusamy as non-electors, and 4 electors, viz., Cardinals Alencherry, Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, and Ivan Dias, now retired. Continent-wise Europe will have the highest number of cardinals with 119 followed by the Americas with 53, Africa 17, Asia 20 and Oceania 4.
Soon after the creation of the new cardinals, Pope Benedict will gather with the cardinals, including the new ones, in another consistory for a vote on the 7 future saints of the Catholic Church whose causes he cleared on Dec. 19. The Pope is expected to declare a date or dates for their canonization. Among the future saints is Pedro Calungsod of the Philippines, a lay catechist and martyr who was killed for his faith in 1672 in Guam. He was declared blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2000. Another saint in the making is Kateri Tekakwitha, a Native American woman. She was born in New York, United States and converted to Catholicism early in life. She died in 1680 in Quebec, Canada and Pope John Paul II declared her Blessed in 1980.
Earlier on Friday, the 22 future cardinals joined Pope Benedict and other 111 cardinals in the Vatican in observing a day of prayer and reflection in view of Saturday’s consistory. The theme of the day - “Preaching the Gospel Today – the Mission ‘Ad Gentes’ and the New Evangelization’ - was introduced by American Cardinal-designate, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York. Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, and several other cardinals and Vatican officials also took turns to address the gathering.