New Cardinal

The Filipino people are overjoyed and jubilant about the elevation of the Archbishop of Manila to Cardinal. Pope Benedict XVI promoted Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle to cardinal. The Filipinos are very pleased and very thankful to the Pope for appointing Tagle as the next Filipino Cardinal.

The elevation of Tagle during the consistory on November 24 will raise the membership of the College of Cardinals to the traditional 120 members. We hope, Pope Benedict XVI would call another consistory with Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu among those to be elevated to cardinal. Palma could be the next cardinal because the archbishop of Cebu is usually made a cardinal.

Tagle was the fastest in getting into the College of Cardinals. He was named archbishop only on October last year and now the Pope has promoted him to cardinal. This is a historic moment for the archdiocese of Manila.

Since 2005, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed 84 cardinals in 4 consistories. His first consistory in March 2006, he elevated 15 archbishops to cardinals including Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales of the Philippines.

The November 24 consistory will be Pope Benedict’s 5th consistory. By then, he will have named 90 cardinals including Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines.

A consistory is a gathering of cardinals presided over by the Pope. It can be ordinary or extraordinary. It is during the ordinary consistory that the Pope announces new cardinals.

By: Joey E. Clarin

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