Another incomparably beautifully crafted & ‘info at a glance‘ cardinal-designate graphic by the remarkably talented & devoutFr. César J. Tobón of Colombia who has provided us with similar & much appreciated, graphics ahead of other cardinal creating consistories and whenever there has been major changes to the Roman curia. His beautiful work is always a joy to behold and an honor to present.
Fr. César J. Tobón also included these words with this graphic:
“Thy Kingdom come! Very esteemed in Christ.
A cordial greeting from Santiago de Chile.
A couple of months ago, Pope Francis announced a Consortium for the creation of new cardinals that will take place on September 30th. Let us keep in mind the words of Pope Francis at the time of the announcement: «Let us pray for the new Cardenales, so that, confirming their adherence to Christ, merciful and faithful High Priest (cf. Heb 2,17), help me in my ministry of the Obispo from Rome to the good of all the faithful Santo Pueblo de Dios». Angelus of Pope Francis, July 9, 2023.
Let us continue to order Pope Francis and his Petrine ministry. En Cristo, P. César J. Tobón, L.C.
It was just a week ago, exactly, that I predicted that Francis really must hold another cardinal creating consistory. So, I was proved right.
I pointed out that given his track record (see above chart) that he will AGAIN exceed the 120 cardinal elector limit. He did. I thought he would exceed it by 10 or 12. I was wrong on that. He will exceed it by 17 THOUGH it drops to 16 the next day & will be down 12 by the end of the year (barring any deaths).
There are 2 very crucial things the pope needs to do, ASAP, to GUARANTEE that his plans are not derailed.
They are:
1/ Issue, at once, a 1-line motu proprio stating that the 120 elector limit no longer applies.
It will take, at most, 10 minutes of his time, if that.
It will avoid what could become an ANTIPOPE scenario! Maybe even a SCHISM by U.S. Catholics!
Unless he lifts that limit, it could always be argued, validly, that the Next Conclave was not legitimate — that it was a STOLEN ELECTION.
It is so easy to avoid this.
That he continues to ignore this key issue & continues to dither is just another poor reflection of his character, competency & acumen.
2/ File at once, given his precarious health, an affidavit with the Vatican curial ‘Secretariat of Briefs‘ stating that all 21 designees have already been made cardinals in a secret/private consistory.
Then it does NOT matter if the September 30, 2023, consistory never takes place.
The document can be published so that the cardinals can come forward & take their place .
Perfectly, perfectly legal.
I have already talked about this, so I won’t rehash it — just give you this link.
A year ago I did not think Pope Francis has the strength or energy, but I have had to reassess my position though he is, obviously, older & sicker than he was last year.
Basically, he does not have a choice.
He really needs to hold another cardinal creating consistory SOON. Given his health he might be forced to do it as early as August — which was when we had last.
Ideally, he would try to push it back till November. Then a couple more electors would have aged out.
I wanted to show you this analysis BEFORE I did any other posts. That way it will be easier for you to follow my rationales.
Pay particular attention to how he has ALWAYS exceeded the {now} SUPPOSED 120 elector limit. Appreciating this is key. I think at the next one he will blow past his previous highs and appoint as many as 10 or 12 ABOVE the 120 limit. OK?
Study this. I will refer to it in my subsequent posts.
Another incomparably beautifully crafted & ‘info at a glance‘ cardinal-designate graphic by the remarkably talented & devoutFr. César J. Tobón of Colombia who has provided us with similar & much appreciated, graphics ahead of other cardinal creating consistories and whenever there has been major changes to the Roman curia. His beautiful work is always a joy to behold and an honor to present.
Fr. César J. Tobón also included these words with this graphic:
“Thy Kingdom come! Highly esteemed in Christ, A cordial greeting from Santiago de Chile. Two and a half months ago Pope Francis announced a Consistory for the creation of new cardinals that will take place on August 27. With the words of Pope Francis: “Let us pray for the new cardinals so that, confirming their adherence to Christ, they may help me in my ministry as Bishop of Rome for the good of all the holy people of God.” Regina Caeli of Pope Francis, May 29, 2022. In addition, I hope to send the updated chart of the Roman Curia once the new superiors of some of the dicasteries are confirmed. Let us continue to entrust Pope Francis and his Petrine ministry. In Christ, Fr. César J. Tobón, L.C.“
Click to ENLARGE and read here. From ‘Catholic News Agency’ (click here to access).Click to ENLARGE. From my magic Excel spreadsheet. The 7 cardinal electors that will turn 80 in 2022.
Very strange, even with factoring in Francis’ Trump-like penchant for wanting to cause havoc because it makes HIM look important.
So let me highlight the MAJOR incongruities in what Francis plans to do & the gullible, mindless media coverage that just panders to this pope WITHOUT paying heed to Church Laws.
>> Announcing a list of new cardinals 3 months ahead of a consistory is EXTREMELY unusual. I am pretty sure it is a FIRST. It was ONLY in the last decade or so that the practice of announcing the list a month ahead came to be. Just hundred years ago (which is but recent history when it comes to the Vatican) we used to have SECRET CONSISTORIES. The names were NOT made public till after the creation process. NO. NO. I am NOT talking about cardinals created In Pectore (close to the heart). I am talking about Secret Consistories — which was the norm. But, to be fair, no big deal. Only slight problem is if any of those named don’t make it to the consistory. They do NOT become cardinals posthumously! You have to be alive in order to be created. So, the 3-months is unusual, but is the least of our problems.
>> The claim that Francis is having this in August in order to bring all the cardinals together IS BOGUS. Total hogwash. The Vatican should be ashamed for propagating this mistruth.
For the last 15 years or so cardinals around the world have congregated in Rome ahead of cardinal-creating consistories. That had become the norm. So, there is NOTHING different or special about the August 2022 gathering.
I read Francis’ Regina Caeli. He did NOT mention that this would be an EXTRAORDINARY consistory. That is KEY. This would ONLY have been special IF it was deemed extraordinary — i.e., mandatory attendance. Instead, it appears to be ORDINARY. Attend IF YOU CAN — but most make a point of attending. So, to try & paint this in a different light is disingenuous. Shame on the Vatican.
>> As you can see from the top 2 images, the Vatican & the media are ACTING as if Francis has overridden Paul VI’s 120-limit for conclaves. I have NOT seen an edict, & as you can see both pieces mention the 120 limit & how it has been exceeded.
This, as I have continually harped on about, is a PROBLEM, both legally & logistically.
Right now 120 is THE LAW. If that is violated, without Francis overriding it, the next election will NOT BE LEGITIMATE.
Plus, there are logistically issues. Accommodating more than 120 electors within the Sistine & the Domus will be a problem! So, don’t act as if this is NOTHING. This is a problem.
>> Francis is really putting the cat among the pigeons as to the next election. The electorate is now extremely splintered. There are too many micro-voting blocs. They will squabble. Asia & Africa now have significant clout. The next election will be a MESS!
That is my first take. Mark what I have to say. My track record when it comes to conclaves is good. SMILE. I do my research & I have done a LOT of research. My facts are unimpeachable. Period.
Click to ENLARGE. From my magic Excel spreadsheet. The 7 cardinal electors that will turn 80 in 2022.
Click to ENLARGE. From the same magic cardinal elector spreadsheet as above.
I had thought that he would wait until November 22 for his next cardinal-creating consistory.
But, with his increasing ill-health there is talk that there will be a June 2022 consistory.
IF SO, it will most likely be on June 28, 2022 — with the celebratory Mass on June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. June 28/29 have traditionally been popular days for consistories.
On June 28, he will, however, only have 4 vacancies IF he does NOT increase the 120 cardinal electors at any given conclave stipulation. It is about time he did.
But, he has had a penchant for going over the 120 mark — apparently in the strong conviction of his longevity. But now, in 2022, he needs to be careful.
UNLESS he increases the 120 limit he should NOT go beyond creating 10 new cardinals. IF he did that, we will be down to 120 by the end of 2022. I don’t think he should be thinking beyond that. Even that might prove to be tricky. Yes, he might push it and add two more — taking into account the two electors who will age out in Jan. & Feb. 2023.
So, this, right now, is the BEST state-of-play.
He will, most likely, announce the cardinal designates next week — a month ahead of the consistory (as per what has become the new norm).
