Catholic World News News Feature

New cardinals assigned to titular churches in Rome March 24, 2006

As he conferred red hats on 15 new cardinals at a March 24 consistory, Pope Benedict XVI also assigned each new cardinal to a titular parish in Rome.

The College of Cardinals represents the clergy of Rome, and thus each cardinal is given the title to a parish or suburban diocese there. The cardinal is expected to take an interest in his titular Roman church, providing advice and support as he can, although he is not directly involved in the administration of the parish.

As each prelate knelt before the Pontiff to receive his red hat, he was also given the formal papal bull canonically establishing his new position and his new titular assignment in Rome. Each cardinal will formally take possession of his new church by celebrating Mass there in the next few days.

(The new cardinals were given the ranks of "cardinal-priests" or "cardinal-deacons." The College of Cardinals traditionally includes six "cardinal-bishops" as well, but those posts are already occupied. The distinction in ranks among cardinals is almost purely ceremonial.)

The 3 members of the Roman Curia who received red hats on March 24 were made cardinal-deacons.

• Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, became deacon of St. Mary in Domnica, a 7th century basilica that had previously been the titular parish of the renowned Italian Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, and more recently of the French theologian, Cardinal Henri de Lubac.
• Cardinal Franc Rode CM, prefect of the Congregation for Religious, became deacon of St. Francis Xavier at Garbatella.
• Cardinal Agostino Vallini, prefect of the supreme tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, became deacon of St. Peter Damian ai Monti di San Paolo.

The 3 new cardinals who are already over the age of 80 and thus ineligible to participate in a papal election, also became cardinal-deacons:

• Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, SJ, the former rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, became deacon of of St. Mary of Mercy and St. Adrian at Villa Albani.
• Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, the archpriest of the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, became deacon of St. Mary in Portico.
• Cardinal Peter Dery, the former Archbishop of Tamale, Ghana, became deacon of St. Helena fuori Porta Prenestina.

The assignments of the other 9 new cardinals were assigned as cardinal-priests to the following parishes:

• Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, Archbishop of Bologna, toJohn the Baptist of the Florentines.
• Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, Archbishop of Toledo, to St. Pancras.
• Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-Suk, Archbishop of Seoul, to Mary Immaculate of Lourdes at Boccea.
• Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, to St. Mary del Popolo.
• Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston, to St. Mary della Vittoria.
• Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux, to St. Augustine.
• Cardinal Gaudencio B. Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, to Most Holy Name of Mary in Via Latina.
• Cardinal Jorge Liberato Urosa Savin, Archbishop of Caracas, to St. Mary ai Monti.
• Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun SDB, Bishop of Hong Kong, to St. Mary Mother of the Redeemer at Tor Bella Monaca.