Whispers in the loggia: A Scarlet Bolt – Pope Announces 17 New Cardinals

Suffice it to say, it's become Pope Francis' unique habit that, in announcing new cardinals, no one is told in advance – above all the designates... and let alone anyone else.

Accordingly, at the end of today's Angelus, 17 names were suddenly dropped for a Consistory to be held on Saturday, 19 November, to coincide with the close of the Jubilee Year – 13 electors, four to be elevated over the retirement age of 80.

Among other notables in the group: three American electors (making up for back-to-back shutouts in Francis' first two intakes), and a fresh dose of the "peripheries," including the first-ever red hats from Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, the island-chain of Mauritius and Papua New Guinea.

Here, the designates, in the order by which they will be created:

–Archbishop Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio in Syria
–Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, CSSp. of Bangui (Central African Republic)
–Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid
–Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha of Brasilia
–Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago
–Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, CSC of Dhaka (Bangladesh)
–Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo of Mérida (Venezuela)
–Archbishop Jozef De Kesel of Mechelen-Brussels
–Archbishop Maurice Piat of Port-Louis (Mauritius)
–Bishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, emeritus of Dallas, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
–Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Tlalnepantla (Mexico)
–Archbishop John Ribat, M.S.C. of Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
–Archbishop Joseph William Tobin, CSSR of Indianapolis

And the "honorary" hats for retirees:

–Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez, emeritus of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
–Bishop Renato Corti, emeritus of Novara (Italia)
–Bishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, OMI, emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek (Lesotho)
–Fr Ernest Simoni, priest of Shkodrë-Pult (Albania)

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by Rocco Palmo via Whispers in the Loggia