Vatican cardinal statistics

By Vatican News

Here are brief biographies of the Church’s newest cardinals.

Cardinal Mario Grech of Malta is the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops.  The year old former Bishop of Gozo was ordained a priest on May 26,  With a licentiate and doctorate from Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University and the Angelicum respectively, he has held several posts, including teaching, in the Church in Malta.  Pope Benedict appointed him bishop in and Pope Francis called him to Rome as pro-secretary general of the Synod of Bishops.  He was appointed is General Secretary on September 15,

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro from Italy’s Apulia region is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican.

Ordained a priest on September 8, , the year old cardinal taught dogmatic theology ecclesiology following his studies in Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University.  Appointed Bishop of Oria in he was transferred to Albano Diocese in    In , Pope Francis appointed him secretary of the "Council of Cardinals", which advises him on the government of the Church and the Roman Curia.  On 15 October , Pope Francis appointed him the head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, Archbishop of Kigali  (Rwanda), lost his family, except a brother, in the genocidal war of After his studies in Burundi, Uganda and Kenya, where he also did his philosophical studies, he returned to Rwanda.   The year old cardinal was ordained a priest by Saint John Paul II in Rwanda ,  after which he taught in the Minor Seminary of Ndera (Kigali).  He has a doctorate in moral theology from Rome and has headed the Caritas of Kigali and the diocesan Commission for Justice and Peace.

Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Kibungo in and transferred him to the Archdiocese of Kigali in

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, USA, is from Chicago, Illinois, where he completed his philosophical studies. Ordained a priest in , he obtained a doctorate in liturgy from Rome’s Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm.

He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago in , Bishop of Belleville in , Archbishop of Atlanta in and Archbishop of Washington in   He was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from to  

Cardinal Jose F. Advincula, Archbishop of Capiz, Philippines, ordained a priest for the archdiocese in   The year old cardinal was the spiritual director of the St.

Pius X Seminary, where he was also professor and dean of education.

Cardinals biography vatican The pope then appointed him to succeed the retiring Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in early The new cardinals represent more than a dozen countries on five continents. Ordained a priest in , he was elected superior of the Conventual Franciscans of St. Three of the new cardinals are current Vatican officials, three are current or retired apostolic nuncios, 13 are current or retired heads of archdioceses around the world, one is a rector major of the Salesians and one is a year-old confessor in Buenos Aires.

 He studied Psychology and Canon Law between Manila and Rome, obtaining a licentiate in Canon Law. Back home, he served in the seminaries of Vigan, Nueva Segovia and in the regional seminary of Jaro. In he was appointed rector of the St. Pius X Seminary of Capiz and became the Defender of the Bond, promoter of justice and finally judicial vicar of the archdiocese.  He was appointed Bishop of San Carlos in and was transferred to Capiz as archbishop in  

Cardinal Celestino Aós Brac , is the Archbishop of Santiago, Chile.  Born in Artaiz, Spain, the year old cardinal was sent Chile in , where he worked in a parish and served as treasurer of the Capuchins in the country.  Later, he also served in the ecclesiastical courts of Valparaiso Diocese and Concepción Archdiocese and was treasurer of the Chilean Association of Canon Law.

 Appointed Bishop of Copiapó in , he was appointed apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Santiago in March and was nominated its Archbishop December that year. 

Cardinal Cornelius Sim, is the Apostolic Vicar of Brunei.  The year old electrical engineering graduate was ordained a priest in   In , when Saint Pope John Paul II separated Brunei from the Diocese of Miri-Brunei and established the Apostolic Prefecture of Brunei, he appointed the cardinal as its prefect.  When Brunei was raised to the rank of Apostolic Vicariate, he was appointed its first Apostolic Vicar.  He thus became the country's first bishop.

Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice, Archbishop of Siena-Colle Val d'Elsa-Montalcino, Italy,  was ordained a priest in   He has held several responsibilities in Rome Diocese, such as spiritual father at the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary and the parish priest of San Luca al Prenestino.

  In , he was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of Rome.  In May , Pope Francis appointed him Archbishop of Siena-Colle Val d'Elsa-Montalcino. Currently, he serves as secretary of the Commission for Migration of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI).   

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, an Italian priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual ( OFM Conv), was consecrated bishop on November 22, in view of the consistory.

  The year old graduate in mechanical also has a licentiate in theological anthropology.  Ordained a priest in , he was elected superior of the Conventual Franciscans of St. Anthony’s Province, Bologna.  In he was called to serve as the Custos (guardian) of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in Assisi, until

Cardinal Felipe ArizmendiEsquivel of Mexico is the Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de las Casas.  Ordained a priest in , the year old cardinal has held several responsibilities in his native Toluca Archdiocese.

He was appointed Bishop of Tapachula in   He has served as general secretary of the Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM).   In  , Saint Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.

Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi of Italy is a Scalabrinian Missionary is a former apostolic nuncio and Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations.  Ordained a priest in , the year old cardinal served as director of the US bishops’ Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees & Travelers.  From to , he was secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, after which he was appointed archbishop and Apostolic Nuncio to Ethiopia and Eritrea.  In , he was appointed apostolic nuncio to Djibouti.

Cardinals biography vatican city He was appointed Chaplain of the Pope in In , he was ordained priest and became, in , the Director of the National Secretariat of Social Communication. In , Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru, and the pope asked him also to be apostolic administrator of Callao, Peru, from April to May Cardinal Jose F.

From to served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the UN offices and other organizations in Geneva.   In , Pope Francis appointed him a member of the former Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, now the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa OFM Cap is the Preacher of the Papal Household.  The year old Italian graduate in theology and classical literature is a former professor of the University of the Sacred Heart of Milan.

 A former member of the International Theological Commission, he left teaching in to devote himself to the ministry of the Word. Pope John Paul II appointed him the Preacher of the Papal Household in , a post that Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have also confirmed.  His numerous books have been translated into many languages.

Cardinal Enrico Feroci of Italy is the parish priest of the noted Roman Marian sanctuary of Divino Amore (Divine Love).  The year old cardinal was ordained a priest in and held several responsibilities in Rome Diocese.

 He was appointed Chaplain of the Pope in Since he has been Rector of the Sanctuary of Divino Amore and since Rector of the Seminary of Our Lady of Divine Love. In , he was appointed parish priest of the sanctuary.