Pope Francis announces 13 new cardinals including first African-American prelate

On October 25, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis appointed 13 new Roman Catholic cardinals who would be able to elect a potential successor in case of his untimely death or resignation. It was also the first time ever that a Black US prelate was awarded a coveted red hat. Washington DC Archbishop Wilton Gregory was exalted to be elevated to cardinal’s rank in a ceremony scheduled for November 28, as Pope Francis made an announcement from his window to the assembly in St. Peter’s Square. 

According to sources of AP, Pope’s cardinals include a long-standing Italian papal preacher at the Vatican, Archbishop Antoine Kambanda; the Capiz, Philippines, Archbishop Jose Fuerte Advincula, and the Santiago, Chile, Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco. However, it was the selection of Gregory that won Pope laurels worldwide. The first African-American to hold the rank, Gregory, recently caught the limelight after he denounced US President Donald Trump's photo-op at St. John's Church, calling it "unacceptable" in midst of Black lives Matter protests that were held following the death of George Floyd due to racial police brutality. 

[Pope Francis delivers his message during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican. Credit: AP]

The announcement comes just days after Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions, particularly for gay couples that the LGBTQ advocates in the US and elsewhere lauded.“Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” AP quoted Francis as saying. “You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered,” he added. 

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LGBT community appreciative

Meanwhile, a Jesuit open to welcoming the gay Catholics, Rev. James Martin, told AP that the pope’s selection as well his decision to be more inclusive about the rights of the LGBT community is appreciative. “It is a major step forward in the church’s support for LGBT people,” he said. “The pope’s speaking positively about civil unions also sends a strong message to places where the church has opposed such laws.” However, the conservative Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, condemned Pope’s support for the same-sex civil unions, saying, it “contradicts what has been the long-standing teaching of the church.”

[Washington D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, accompanied by other members of the clergy, leaves St. Mathews Cathedral after the annual Red Mass in Washington. Pope Francis. Credit: AP]

[Washington D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory greets churchgoers at St. Mathews Cathedral after the annual Red Mass in Washington. Credit: AP]

[Pope Francis reads out his message during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican. Credit: AP]

[Statues adorn the Bernini Colonnade as people attending Pope Francis Angelus prayer from his studio window are silhouetted in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican. Credit: AP]

[Archbishop Wilton Gregory, right, celebrates mass and blesses the badges of the first responders as the Archdiocese of Atlanta held its first "Blue Mass" for public safety officials and first responders in Atlanta. Credit: AP]

Read: Masked Pope, Faith Leaders Pray For Peace And Pandemic's End

Read: Catholics Respond To Pope's Civil Unions Support

(Image Credit: AP)