2012-02-16 09:03:58

Meet the 22 Cardinals-designate


Archbishop Edwin Frederick O’Brien - Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
Edwin Frederick O’Brien was born on April 8, 1939 in the Bronx, New York. He was one of three children. He served as an Army Chaplain with the 82nd Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. He was named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1996. The following year, he was named co-adjutor bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services he succeeded as archbishop four months later. On July 12, 2007, he was appointed the 15th Archbishop of Baltimore, the first diocese of the United States.
On August 29, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop O'Brien Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, pending the installation of his successor.
Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins of Toronto, Canada;
Thomas Christopher Collins was born on January 16, 1947, in Guelph, Ontario. He was the youngest of three children. After his ordination in 1973, he arrived in Rome for further studies. He received his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Bible Institute in 1978 and a Doctorate in Theology from the Gregorian University in 1986. In 1997, he was appointed as Bishop of Saint Paul, Alberta. Two years later, he was named the Archbishop of Edmonton. In 2007, he was named to his current position as the Archbishop of Toronto.
Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan of New York, United States of America;
Timothy Michael Dolan was born on February 6, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the oldest of five children. He was ordained in 1976. In 1992, Dolan was appointed Vice-Rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, and then, in 1994, rector of Pontifical North American College in Rome. He held this post until 2001, when he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis. In 2002, Dolan was named Archbishop of Milwaukee, In 2009, the Archbishop was appointed Archbishop of New York.
H.B. George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam — Angamaly for Syro-Malabars, India;
George Alencherry was born on April 19, 1945, in Thuruthy, Kerala. He was the sixth child of the ten children. He was ordained in 1972, and later served three years as secretary of the Commission for Catechism of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council. In 1996, he was appointed the first bishop of the newly established diocese of Thuckalay. In 2011, he was confirmed as Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, which heads the Eastern Catholic Syro-Malabar Church.
Bishop John Tong Hon of Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China;
John Tong Hon was born on July 31, 1939, in Hong Kong. He was ordained a priest on 9 December 1966. In 1980, he was appointed Director of the The Holy Spirit Study Centre, an office of the Diocese of Hong Kong. It is a research institute which studies issues related to the Church in China. In 1996, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Hong Kong, and then named Coadjutor-Bishop in 2008. He was installed as bishop the next year.
Archbishop Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples;
Fernando Filoni was born on April 15, 1946, in Manduria, Italy, and ordained in 1970. He served much of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, and was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq and Jordan in 2001. He was the only Ambassador to stay in Baghdad during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. He was named Substitute for General Affairs to the Secretary of State in 2007, and was appointed to his current position as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in 2011.
Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, Major Penitentiary;
Manuel Monteiro de Castro was born on March 29, 1930 in S. Eufemia, Portugal. He was ordained July 9, 1961. He spent much of his career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, serving as Apostolic Nuncio to countries in the West Indies, southern Africa, and Spain. He was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops in 2009, and Major Penitentiary in January of this year.
Archbishop Santos Abril y Castelló, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St Mary Major;
Santos Abril y Castelló was born on September 21, 1935 in Alfambra, Spain. He was ordained on March 19, 1960. He spent much of his career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Bolivia, Cameroon, Yugoslavia, Argentina, Slovenia and Macedonia. In January of last year, he was appointed Vice-Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, which has important duties during any conclave. He was named Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St Mary Major in November of last year.
Archbishop Antonio Maria Vegliò, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People;
Antonio Maria Vegliò was born on February 3, 1938, in Macerata Feltria, Italy. He was ordained on March 18, 1962. He spent much of his career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mali, Lebanon and Kuwait. He was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in 2001. He became President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in 2009.
Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of the same State;
Giuseppe Bertello was born on October 1, 1942, in Foglizzo, Italy. He was ordained on June 29, 1966. He spent much of his career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Rwanda, Mexico, Italy, and San Marino. Last year, he was appointed President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts;
Francesco Coccopalmerio was born on March 6, 1938, in San Giuliano Milanese, Italy. He was ordained on June 28, 1962. In 1981, he was made a Professor in the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1993, he was an Auxiliary Bishop of Milan. In 2007, he was made President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.
Archbishop João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life;
João Braz de Aviz was born on Apr 24, 1947, in Mafra, Brazil. He was ordained on Nov 26, 1972. He was named auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Vitória in 1994. He became bishop of Diocese of Ponta Grossa in 1998, and then Archbishop of Maringá in 2002. In 2004, he was appointed Archbishop of Brasília, where in 2010 he organised the highly successful XVI National Eucharistic Congress. He was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in 2011.
Archbishop Domenico Calcagno, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See;
Domenico Calcagno was born on February 3, 1943, in Tramontana, Italy. He was ordained on June 29, 1967. He was named bishop of Savona-Noli in 2002. He became Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See in 2007, and President in 2011.
Archbishop Giuseppe Versaldi, President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See;
Giuseppe Versaldi as born on July 30, 1943, in Vercelli, Italy. He was ordained on June 29, 1967. He was named bishop of Alessandria in 2007. In 2011, he was made President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See;
Archbishop Dominik Duka, O.P., of Prague, Czech Republic;
Dominik Duka was born on April 26, 1943, in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic (at the time, Czechoslovakia). He was ordained on June 22, 1970. He made his solemn profession in the Dominican Order in 1972. He was forced into factory work by the communist regime, while still secretly serving as a Dominican. He was jailed for a short time in the 1980’s. He was made bishop of Hradec Králové in 1998. In 2010, he was appointed Archbishop of Prague.
Archbishop Willem Jacobus Eijk of Utrecht, The Netherlands;
Willem Jacobus Eijk was born on June 22, 1953, in Duivendrecht, The Netherlands. He was ordained on June 1, 1985. He has doctorates in Medicine, Philosophy, and Theology. In 1999 he was appointed bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden. In 2007, he was appointed the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht.
Archbishop Giuseppe Betori of Florence, Italy;
Giuseppe Betori was born on February 25, 1947, in Foligno, Italy. He was ordained on September 26, 1970. In 2001, he was created a bishop and made Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference. He was appointed Archbishop of Florence in 2008.
Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki of Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany;
Rainer Maria Woelki was born on August 18, 1956, in Köln-Mühlheim, Germany. He was ordained on June 14, 1985. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cologne in 2003. He became Archbishop of Berlin in 2011, and welcomed Pope Benedict XVI on his third apostolic visit to Germany.
H.B. Lucian Mureşan, Major Archbishop of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia for Romanians, Romania;
Lucian Mureşan was born on May 23, 1931, in Firiza, Romania. He was ordained on December 19, 1964. He was appointed Bishop of Maramureş in 1990. He was made Archbishop of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia in 1994, and made Major Archbishop in 2006.
Monsignor Julien Ries, Priest of the Diocese of Namur, Belgium, Professor emeritus of history and religion at the Catholic University of Leuven/Louvain;
Julien Ries was born on April 19, 1920, in Fouches, Belgium. He was ordained on August 12, 1945. He was appointed titular archbishop of Belcastro on January 23rd of this year, and was consecrated a bishop on February 11th.
Fr Prosper Grech, OSA, Lecturer emeritus at various universities in Rome and Consultor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;
Prosper Grech was born on December 23, 1925, in Vittoriosa, Malta. He made his profession in the Augustinian Order on October 8, 1944. He was ordained to the priesthood on March 25, 1950. He was appointed titular archbishop of San Leone on January 21st of this year, and was consecrated a bishop on February 8th.
Fr Karl Becker, SJ, Lecturer emeritus at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Consultor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Karl Becker was born on April 18, 1928, in Köln, Germany. He became a professed member of the Society of Jesus on April 13, 1948. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 31, 1958.








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