The announcement has come

As expected, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI this morning announced a consistory for the elevation of Cardinals of the Roman Church to be held November 24th (the text of the audience is not yet on the Vatican web site but the Vatican Information Service gives the list of names).

Those to become voting members of the Papal Senate are:

• Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (Argentina)
• John Patrick Foley, Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (USA)
• Giovanni Lajolo, Governor of the Vatican City-State (Italy)
• Paul-Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum (Germany)
• Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St Peter's Basilica, Pope's vicar-general of the Vatican-City State (Italy)
• Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (Poland)
• Raffaele Farina SDB, archivist of the Holy Roman Church (Italy)
• Agustin Garcia-Gasco y Vicente, archbishop of Valencia (Spain)
• Sean Brady, archbishop of Armagh, primate of All Ireland
• Jose Lluis Sistach, archbishop of Barcelona (Spain)
• Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris (France)
• Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa (Italy)
• Theodore-Adrien Sarr, archbishop of Dakar (Senegal)
• Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay (India)
• Francisco Lopez Ortega, archbishop of Monterrey (Mexico)
• Daniel Nicholas DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston (USA)
• Odilio Pedro Scherer, archbishop of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
• John Njue, archbishop of Nairobi (Kenya)

Those to become non-voting members of the Papal Senate are:

• Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylonia of the Chaldeans (Iraq)
• Giovanni Coppa, archbishop, (retired) apostolic nuncio (Italy)
• Esteban Karlic, archbishop-emeritus of Parana (Argentina)
• Fr Urbano Navarrete, SJ, rector-emeritus of the Pontifical Gregorian University
• Fr Umberto Betti, OFM, rector-emeritus of the Pontifical Lateran University

Surprisingly missing from the listed is Archbishop Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., which makes me wonder if Cardinal-Elect DiNardo won’t be transferred to a new See soon (this is merely speculation on my part).

Today’s liturgical celebration, the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, seems a fitting time to announce the elevation of Princes of the Church.

A Cardinal of the Roman Church wears scarlet (red) to remind himself of the promise he makes to the Supreme Pontiff to willingly give his life in defense of the Church and of the Faith, should it ever be required of him. Ignatius begged the Christians in Rome to let him be thrown to the lions so that he might die for Christ Jesus who died for him.

A Cardinal is a member of the Papal Senate which the Pope’s used to refer to as “part of our body.” Through his union with Christ, Ignatius knew he was united to the Church. Being a Bishop himself, he never hesitated to call all Christians to unity with their Bishop, going so far as to say, “Let nothing be done apart from the Bishop.”

In his catechesis last March on Saint Ignatius, Pope Benedict XVI noted that the example of this holy martyr “invites the faith of yesterday and today, invites us all, to a progressive synthesis between configuration to Christ (union with him) and dedication to his Church (union with the bishop, generous service to the community and the world).”

If these chosen men look to the example of Saint Ignatius of Antioch they will be very fine Cardinals of the Church indeed.

Be sure to check these other sites for deeper commentary:

• Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia
• Thomas at the American Papist

You might want to take another read of the homily Pope Benedict gave at his consistory.