AmericanPapist Comments
Most likely to generate intense "discussion" around St. Blogs: George Cardinal Niederauer.
No Wuerl?
What's up with that?
Yes, we will have 121 electors. The Pope expressly said "derogando di una unità al limite numerico stabilito dal Papa Paolo VI, confermato dal mio venerato Predecessore Giovanni Paolo II nella Costituzione Apostolica Universi dominici gregis (cfr n. 33), nomineṛ diciotto Cardinali". So, he "derogated by one unit the numeric limit established by Pope Paul VI".
I think my beloved Detroit just lost our lock on a red hat this morning. It only makes sense - demographically, politically, sociologically, Detroit is not now what it once was - it is no longer the 4th largest city in the country.
Also, with the real likelihood of two retired, yet very healthy, Cardinals living here (as soon as Maida's replacement is named), it would be a bit untoward for us to have a third red hat in the neighborhood.
So, like so many other jobs from Detroit, this one heads down to Houston.
My only disapointment was that Archbishop Burke, one of strongest defenders of the Church in the US, did not receive it. Appeasers like Wuerl deserve not to receive the red hat. Tom
I'm guessing Wuerl will get the red hat next time around, much like Cardinal O'Malley got it from the second consistory that happened during his tenure as Archbishop of Boston.
"So, like so many other jobs from Detroit, this one heads down to Houston."
An apt observation, TF.
NB: Archbishops Wuerl and Burke were co-consecrators of Di Nardo. Maybe we need to explore the western Pennsylvania connection, as well (not forgetting the rapid -- Vatican time -- appointment of Kurtz to Louisville). I think these moves are telling us that the Pope is bent on a thorough-going reform of the Church in the US -- beginning with a "paradigm-shift", if you will.
Sounds like the Vatican has a pretty good sense of US Catholic demographics.
The fact that there will be one extra cardinal-elector really isn't as big a deal as it would seem, I don't think. Cardinal Wetter turns 80 in late February (and then two others turn 80 next June), so I assume the Pope had that in mind in naming an extra cardinal. I also assume the Pope expects to live for another four months for this to not be a problem!
The age demographics of the cardinals makes it seem that there won't be much need for new red hats for a couple years, assuming no one dies before age 80. After this consistory, only 7 cardinals will turn 80 prior to 2010, including the three in the previous paragraph. 2010 will be a big year, though, as 12 will reach the age of 80 prior to the end of November in that year alone.
Good points, Nathan, though I was just observing that every Pontiff seems to create limits and then happily discard them at leisure. He's the pope, he can do that. :)
He absolutely can. :)
I was just throwing out the possible reason for him ignoring the 120 ceiling this time around. Keep up the great coverage!
Although it's not customary to have more than one elector in the same see, it does happen on occasion. Until the American Papist patron, Cardinal Macharski, turned 80 this past May, there had been two voting cardinals in Krakow for a little over a year. And Milan was in a similar situation until a few months ago as well.
I just like Papa Benedict's expression here, and am hopelessly reminded of George Jeffeson: "You're movin' on up! (Moooovin' on up!) To zhe Red Hat side! (Reeeedd Hat side!) You finally got a piece of zhe pie!"
What is odd is his declaration that
"The new cardinals come from various parts of the world"....err...it's great to be Pope. I wish I could say the incorrect and not be corrected.
"My only disapointment was that Archbishop Burke, one of strongest defenders of the Church in the US, did not receive it. Appeasers like Wuerl deserve not to receive the red hat."
If it were up to me, Burke would've received that cardinals' hat.
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