The Holy Father Names Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime a Cardinal
(ANS – Rome – July 9, 2023) – On July 9, after the
Angelus and reflection on the Gospel, Pope Francis announced the convocation of
a consistory on September 30 for the appointment of 21 new cardinals. Among the
cardinals-elect is Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, Rector Major of the
Salesians.
The appointment of Fr. Angel is a sign of the trust and hope that the Holy Father places in Fr. Angel and the Salesians of Don Bosco.
The inclusion of new cardinals into the diocese of Rome (each
cardinal has a titular church in Rome, his unofficial parish) also manifests
the inseparable bond between the See of Peter and the particular Churches
spread throughout the world. Their provenance expresses the universality of the
Church as it continues to proclaim God’s merciful love to all people on earth.
The Holy Father concluded his Angelus address by inviting
everyone to pray for the new cardinals: “Let us pray for the new cardinals,
that by confirming their adherence to Christ, the merciful and faithful High
Priest (cf. Heb 2:17), they may help me in my ministry as bishop of Rome for
the good of all God’s faithful people.”
Fr. Angel was born on August 21, 1960, in Gozon-Luanco,
Asturias, Spain. He made his first profession on September 3, 1978, his perpetual
vows on June 17, 1984, in Santiago de Compostela. He was ordained on July 4,
1987, in Leon, Spain.
Originally from the province of Leon, he holds degrees in pastoral
theology, philosophy, and pedagogy. He was delegate for youth ministry, director
of the school in Ourense, member of the provincial council, and vice provincial,
and from 2000 to 2006 provincial.
After being part of the preparatory commission which
prepared the 26th General Chapter in 2009, he was appointed provincial of South
Argentina, based in Buenos Aires. In this capacity he also got to know and work
personally with the then-archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario
Bergoglio, today Pope Francis.
On December 23, 2013, he was appointed superior of the new province of Mediterranean Spain, based in Seville. Before he could take on this new role, however, on March 25, 2014, he was elected by General Chapter 27 as the new Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation, the 10th Successor of Don Bosco. On March 11, 2020, he was re-elected by General Chapter 28 for the second six-year term from 2020 to 2026.
At least among the Salesians, there's no precedent for the Rector Major (superior general) being made a cardinal. According to one Salesian account, Pope Pius IX at one time wanted to make Don Bosco a cardinal, but he begged off for the sake of his boys. Whether the general superior of some other order or congregation was ever so honored, I have no idea.
Fr. Angel will become the 11th
living Salesian cardinal. Four of the present ten are under the age of 80 and
are eligible to take part in the next conclave. These are Cardinals Charles Bo
of Burma, Daniel Sturla of Uruguay, Cristobal Lopez of Morocco, and Virgilio da
Silva of East Timor.
Salesian cardinals over age 80,
all of them emeriti from their former positions in dioceses or the Roman Curia,
include Cardinals Oscar Rodriguez of Honduras, Tarcisio Bertone of Italy, Joseph Zen of Hong Kong, Raffaele Farina of Italy, Angelo Amato of Italy, and Ricardo Ezzati of Chile.
Nine Salesians who were cardinals are deceased,
appointed between 1915 (Bp. John Cagliero of South America) and 2001 (Abp. Ignacio
Velasco of Venezuela), and they include the illustrious August Hlond, foe of
the Nazis in Poland, Raul Silva, champion of human rights in Chile, and Miguel
Obando, defender of the Church in Nicaragua.
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