Anti-gay archbishop among 23 new cardinals
 18
Oct 2007- Rome, Italy-The Pope announced the names of 23 new cardinals
yesterday, including the controversial leader of the Italian Church who recently
compared homosexuality to paedophilia and incest.
Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa will be
made a cardinal on Nov 24, at the next consistory. Mgr Bagnasco has been under
armed guard since he made a speech in April which claimed that permitting gay
marriages was merely the beginning of a slippery slope. "Why then say 'no' to
incest? Why say 'no' to the paedophile party in Holland?" he asked.
Eighteen of the new cardinals, including Mgr
Bagnasco, will be under 80 and therefore eligible to vote in the next Papal
election. After the consistory there will be a total of 202 members of the
college, including 121 cardinal-electors. Dr Sean Brady, the head of the
Catholic Church in Ireland, will become the country's third cardinal.
The Archbishop of Mumbai, Oswald Gracias, was
made a cardinal. Mgr Gracias, 62, has had a rapid rise through the Catholic
hierarchy and has worked for long enough in Rome to be an outside bet for the
next pope.
"The new cardinals," said the Pope yesterday,
"come from every part of the world. They are a reflection of the universality of
the Church and the multiplicity of its ministers." Despite the Pope's comments,
some critics pointed out that almost half of the voting members of the college
would be European.
"The latest list will bring the number of
Europeans in the college up to half," said Robert Mickens, a Vatican expert from
the Tablet newspaper.
Although Latin America is home to around 42 per
cent of the world's Catholics, it only has one fifth of the number of voting
cardinals. In addition, several of the cardinals named yesterday from outside
Europe have served in the Curia for many years, becoming part of the
establishment.
Mr Mickens said: "That may help keep the next
pope European."
|
