Pope Francis will create his 21 new cardinals Dec. 7, not Dec. 8 as he originally announced, according to the official in charge of papal liturgical ceremonies.
Many of the prelates Pope Francis will make cardinals Sept. 30 will be taking part in the synod on synodality or have been very active in its preparatory phases as leaders of their dioceses.
On behalf of the bishops of the United States, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered his congratulations and prayers July 9 upon Pope Francis' announcement of the creation of 21 new cardinals.
Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals, including U.S.-born Archbishop Robert F. Prevost, who took the helm at the Dicastery for Bishops in April, and French Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.
One by one 11 senior churchmen, including two U.S. citizens -- Cardinals Wilton D. Gregory of Washington and Silvano M. Tomasi, a former Vatican diplomat -- knelt before Pope Francis to receive their red hats, a cardinal's ring and a scroll formally declaring their new status and assigning them a "titular" church in Rome.
After the consistory to create new cardinals in early October, Pope Francis will have chosen more than half of the men who will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect his successor.
Pope Francis announced he will create 13 new cardinals Oct. 5, choosing prelates from 13 different nations as a sign of "the missionary vocation of the Church that continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all men and women of the earth."
The Catholic Church's 17 new cardinals must dedicate their lives to being ministers of forgiveness and reconciliation in a world -- and sometimes a church -- often marked by hostility and division, Pope Francis said.
Balancing a cup in one hand and a small sandwich over the plastic plate on her lap while a grandchild played on the floor next to her wheelchair, Marie Terese Tobin beamed with joy for all the gifts God has given her.
