Bishop Mafi appointed Cardinal by Pope Francis Nuku’alofa-January 5: 11.35am (TDN): The Catholic Church here in Tonga is celebrating today the appointment of Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi as a Cardinal by Pope Francis. The new Cardinal Mafi was named as one of the 15 cardinals from countries across the globe, including nations in the developing world. The cardinals can now vote for Pope Francis’ replacement. Cardinals have been appointed from Ethiopia, Tonga and Cape Verde as well as Vietnam and Sicily - reflecting the diversity of the church. Pope Francis told a crowd gathered in St Peters Square at the weekend that the church leaders come from every continent and show the indelible tie with the church of Rome to churches in the world. The 15 cardinals, who hail from a total 14 nations, are all under 80 and will therefore be able to vote for the Popes successor. He also made a surprise announcement and said he would lead a meeting of all cardinals to reflect on the orientations and proposals for the reform of the Roman Curia, the Vaticans administrative bureaucracy, between February 12 and 13. Since he took on the role, Pope Francis has remained committed to root out corruption and inefficiency from the curia. Among those elected were Francesco Montenegro, the archbishop of Agrigento in Sicily, and head of the Italian bishops group that deals with migration. Dominique Mamberti, who heads the Apostolic Signatura, the Vaticans highest court, was the only member of the curia, the central administration of the Holy See which governs the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church, to be elevated to the post. It is the second time Pope Francis has not appointed any Americans to the role. As well as the 15 cardinals, Pope Francis also appointed five bishops and archbishops who are too old to take part in future votes for the next pope. Pope Francis is the first Latin American pope and never worked in the Italian-dominated Curia before he was elected. He has not shied from complaining about the gossiping, careerism and bureaucratic power intrigues that afflict the Holy See. At Christmas he delivered his message to the Curia and highlighted the 15 Ailments of the Curia, which included a desire for power and hypocrisy. In January last year he sacked four of five cardinals who sat on a panel that oversees the Vatican Bank. The Vatican bank was caught in a money-laundering row in 2010 after Italian prosecutors uncovered allegedly suspicious financial activity within the organisation. Those named as Cardinals from around the world includes: Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento, Italy Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado, of Santiago de Cabo Verde, Cape Verde Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Bangkok, Thailand Archbishiop Manuel José Macario do Nascimento Clemente, Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal Archbishop Pierre Nguyên Văn Nhon of Hanoi, Vietnam Bishop José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán of David, Panama Archbishop Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B., of Yangon, Burma Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of Wellington, New Zealand Archbishop Edoardo Menichelli of Ancona-Osimo, Italy Archbishop Alberto Suàrez Inda of Morelia, Mexico Archbishop Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet of Montevideo, Uruguay Archbishop Ricardo Blázquez Pérez of Vallodolid, Spain
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 22:37:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015