Remarkable Consistory of 1583

Four hundred and twenty six years ago, on this very day, the pope held a consistory to create cardinals. It is doubtful that anyone that day could have foreseen the future events that would make it so remarkable.

The Pope was Gregory XIII and it was the twelth year of his reign. He had not held a consistory to create new cardinals in almost five years. He was less than a month from his 82nd birthday.

That day he named 19 new Cardinals. It was a typical collection of Cardinals for that era: many from Italy, but also some from France, Spain, and elsewhere. Many were Archbishops or Bishops. Three were a mere 21 years of age on that day. The oldest was just 9 years younger than the pope himself.

What makes this consistory so remarkable is four of those named cardinals that day: Giovanni Battista Castagna, Niccolò Sfondrati, Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce, and Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici. They are more commonly known as: Popes Urban VII, Gregory XIV, Innocent IX, and Leo XI, respectively.

No other consistory in at least the last 500 years has yielded four future popes.

Pope Gregory XIII died less than a year and a half after this consistory, but his successor was not one of these four. Instead Pope Sixtus V was elected (he was created a cardinal by Pope Pius V, Gregory's predecessor).

He was followed by Pope Urban VII, the first of the four. But he died less than a fortnight after his election.

Another of the four, Pope Gregory XIV was next. His reign lasted almost a year, quite short, but the longest of the four.

Pope Innocent IX was the next to be elected. He too had a short papacy - his death was just two months and a day after his election.

The next pope was not from our remarkable consistory, instead he was created a cardinal by Pope Gregory's immediate successor. Pope Clement VIII reigned for 13 years.

Upon his passing, the last of our four was elected. Pope Leo XI was elected on 1 April 1605 and died on the 27th of the same month.

And that is the remarkable consistory of 1583. Four future popes were named cardinals that day ... but their combined total time in the papacy was a little less than 15 months. Oddly enough, the pope who called the consistory, Pope Gregory XIII, only lived a bit under 16 more months.

 

Today at the General Audience

Pre-Pope John Paul II Bishops

Bishop Joseph Willy Romélus (of Jérémie, Haïti) recently retired after 32 years of service in that post - he had been named by Pope Paul VI on 26 Apr 1977.

Which brings up the question: How many active bishops were appointed to their current post before Pope John Paul II became Pope?

The answer is Forty One (now 36) ordinaries and Six (now 5) auxiliary bishops.

The ordinaries are: (Date of Appointment, Date of Birth, Name, Title)

• 24 Mar 1944, 12 Oct 1906, Bishop Francis Hong Yong-ho of P’yong-yang, Korea (South)
  (Originally named Vicar Apostolic, Elevated to Bishop on 10 Mar 1962)
  
• 23 May 1966, 12 Apr 1919, Archbishop Hovhannes Tcholakian of Istanbul (Armenian), Turkey
  
• 13 Jul 1967, 26 Oct 1930, Bishop Joseph B. Willigers, M.H.M. of Jinja, Uganda
  
• 26 Jun 1970, 3 Oct 1933, Bishop Gonzalo López Marañon, O.C.D. of San Miguel de Sucumbíos, Ecuador
  (Originally named Prefect, Elevated to Vicar Apostolic on 2 Jul 1984)
  
• 30 Jul 1972, 17 Apr 1935, Bishop Michael Patrick Olatunji Fagun of Ekiti, Nigeria
  
• 13 Apr 1973, 16 Jun 1936, Anthony Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie, Archbishop of Lagos, Nigeria
  (Elevated to Cardinal on 21 Oct 2003)
  
• 13 Apr 1973, Nov 1934, Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun of Oyo, Nigeria
  
• 25 Jun 1973, 11 Dec 1936, Archbishop Nikólaos Fóscolos of Athenai {Athens}, Greece
  
• 26 Nov 1973, 7 May 1937, Bishop Nestorius Timanywa of Bukoba, Tanzania
  
• 24 Jan 1974, 29 Dec 1937, Bishop Joseph Bolangi Egwanga Ediba Tasame of Budjala, Congo (Dem. Rep.)
  Resigned on 22 Oct 2009
  
• 1 May 1974, 15 Mar 1939, Archbishop Hanna Zora of Archbishop of Ahwaz (Chaldean), Iran
  
• 27 Jun 1974, 5 Dec 1936, Bishop Franghískos Papamanólis, O.F.M. Cap. of Syros e Milos and Santorini {Thira}, Greece
  
• 1 Jul 1974, 13 Oct 1933, Bishop Erwin Hecht, O.M.I. of Kimberley, South Africa
  
• 7 Sep 1974, 1935, Bishop Faustin Ngabu of Goma, Congo (Dem. Rep.)
  (Named Coadjutor 24 Apr 1974, Succeeded to the See on 7 Sep 1974)
  
• 5 Oct 1974, 24 Jun 1938, Archbishop Felix Alaba Adeosin Job of Ibadan, Nigeria
  (Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 26 Mar 1994)
  
• 12 Dec 1974, Sep 1937, Archbishop Anselme Titianma Sanon of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
  (Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 5 Dec 2000)
  
• 25 Apr 1975, 20 Jul 1931, Bishop Paul Nguyên Van Hòa of Nha Trang, Viêt Nam
  
• 2 Oct 1975, 19 Jan 1933, Bishop George Yod Phimphisan, C.SS.R. of Udon Thani, Thailand
  Retired 14 Nov 2009
  
• 2 Oct 1975, 10 Oct 1935, Bishop Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe of Pyay, Myanmar
  (Original name of diocese: Prome)
  
• 20 Nov 1975, 10 May 1942, Bishop Gilbert Guillaume Marie-Jean Aubry of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion
  
• 4 Mar 1976, 25 Sep 1933, Bishop Ulises Aurelio Casiano Vargas of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  
• 10 Apr 1976, 28 Apr 1933, Archbishop Petero Mataca of Suva, Fiji, Pacific (Oceania)
  
• 31 May 1976, 1 Mar 1935, Bishop Francis Folorunsho Clement Alonge of Ondo, Nigeria
  
• 28 Oct 1976, 12 Feb 1936, Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis of Monrovia, Liberia
  (Originally named Vicar Apostolic, Elevated to Archbishop on 19 Dec 1981)
  
• 3 Dec 1976, 26 Nov 1936, Archbishop Jaime Pedro Gonçalves of Beira, Mozambique
  (Named Coadjutor 19 Dec 1975, Succeeded to the See on 3 Dec 1976, elevated to Archbishop on 4 Jun 1984)
  
• 9 Dec 1976, 12 Dec 1937, Bishop John Mulagada of Eluru, India
  Died 15 Aug 2009
  
• 1 Feb 1977, 31 Oct 1938, Bishop Howard James Hubbard of Albany, New York, USA
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 5 Aug 1937, Archbishop Hieronymus Herculanus Bumbun, O.F.M. Cap. of Pontianak, Indonesia
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 15 May 1933, Bishop Gratian Mundadan, C.M.I. of Bijnor (Syro-Malabarese), India
  Retired 14 Aug 2009
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 13 Sep 1936, Bishop George Punnakottil of Kothamangalam (Syro-Malabarese), India
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 25 Sep 1940, Bishop Jean-Claude Bouchard, O.M.I. of Pala, Chad
  
• 4 Mar 1977, 4 Dec 1934, Bishop Frederick D'Souza of Jhansi, India
  
• 30 May 1977, 20 Mar 1937, Bishop Anthony Lee Kok Hin of Miri, Malaysia
  
• 25 Jun 1977, 8 Aug 1932, Archbishop Alfons Nossol, Bishop of Opole, Poland
  (given the Personal Title of Archbishop on 12 Nov 1999)
  Retired 14 Aug 2009
  
• 10 Nov 1977, 11 Sep 1929, Bishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, O.M.I. of Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho
  
• 27 Feb 1978, 23 Sep 1939, Bishop Armando Umberto Gianni, O.F.M. Cap. of Bouar, Central African Republic
  
• 27 Feb 1978, 5 Jul 1942, Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth of Kisumu, Kenya
  (Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 21 May 1990)
  
• 28 Feb 1978, 15 Aug 1937, Bishop Philip Sulumeti of Kakamega, Kenya
  
• 5 May 1978, 12 Jan 1939, Bishop Reinaldo Ernst E. (Heribert) Pünder of Coroatá, Maranho, Brazil
  
• 22 Jun 1978, 26 Jul 1934, Bishop James Pazhayattil of Irinjalakuda (Syro-Malabarese), India
  
• 12 Sep 1978, 8 Jun 1936, Bishop Joseph Dao of Kayes, Mali
  

and the Auxiliaries:

• 28 Nov 1967, 10 Oct 1929, Bishop José Ramiro Pellecer Samayoa, Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala and Titular of Teglata in Proconsulari
  
• 20 Nov 1973, 10 Jan 1935, Bishop Pawel Socha, C.M., Auxiliary Bishop of Zielona Góra-Gorzów, Poland and Titular of Thunigaba
  (Original name of Diocese was Gorzów)
  
• 23 Dec 1974, 19 Mar 1932, Bishop Wladyslaw Bobowski, Auxiliary of Tarnów, Poland and Titular of Abernethia
  Retired 20 Oct 2009
  
• 12 Jul 1975, 7 Sep 1930, Bishop Roland Aboujaoudé, Auxiliary of Antiochia {Antioch} (Maronite), Lebanon and Titular of Arca in Phoenicia dei Maroniti
  
• 28 Nov 1977, 25 Nov 1936, Bishop Kenneth Donald Steiner, Auxiliary of Portland in Oregon, USA and Titular of Avensa
  
• 28 Feb 1978, 13 Feb 1935, Bishop Peter Anthony Rosazza, Auxiliary of Hartford, Connecticut, USA and Titular of Oppidum Novum
  

Bishop Francis Hong Yong-ho was named by Pope Pius XII. Although he is still officially listed as "missing" it seems unlikely that he remains alive.

Bishop Joseph Dao was named by Pope John Paul I.

All of the others were named by Pope Paul VI.

You'll notice that many of them are at or near the retirement age. Before they do retire, let us take a moment to thank them for their many years of service!

Note: the original list accidentally excluded several bishops whose jurisdictions had either changed names or were elevated while they have been the ordinary.

(revised 14 Nov 2009)

The Ordinaries of St. Louis, Missouri

No doubt ya'll have heard that Archbishop-designate Robert Carlson was named the new Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri.

So lets take the opportunity to look over the past ordinaries of this Archdiocese. It began as a diocese in 1826 (a suffragan of Baltimore) and was elevated to an Archdiocese just 21 years later.

In the last 183 years it has only had 9 ordinaries - making the average reign an amazing 20 years.

Of course the average is a bit misleading since just 2 of those ordinaries account for more than half of the archdiocese's history.

Those two, if you hadn't guessed, are Cardinals Kenrick and Glennon. Peter Richard Cardinal Kenrick was the 2nd Bishop and 1st Archbishop of St. Louis. He served as ordinary for more than 51 years. He was named Coadjutor Bishop before he turned 35. He retired at age 88 and died less than a year later.

The second long reigning ordinary was John Joseph Cardinal Glennon. He served as ordinary for 42 years. He also began as a Coadjutor, at the age of 40. He died in office at the age of 83.

Let us hope and pray that Archbishop-designate Carlson will have a long and fruitful reign in St. Louis.

The Haughty Health Care Conspiracy?

It seems that the Democrat controlled US Congress and President Obama have set their sights on Catholic Hospitals.

Through various means such as FOCA and reviewing the conscience clause, they seem to be moving toward forcing all hospitals to perform abortions.

Now the political leadership of the US isn't stupid - they know of the incredible benefits that the Catholic Hospitals across the country provide - often in some of the most under served areas of the inner cities all over the country.

They also know that a Catholic Hospital, if it is required to provide abortion "services", must cease to be. It would have to either close its doors or destroy its own soul.

No doubt a few would apostacize, some would sell out to a non-Catholic entity (if they could find a buyer), a few more would find a way to spin the situation to find a tortured excuse for providing murder as a "service", but the vast majority would simply close.

The net result is that many folks in the poorest areas would be without a good nearby source for medical care.

So if the political leadership knows these things, why are they still considering the issue?

Of course it has the side benefit (from their perspective) of allowing the media to portray the Catholic Church as a great evil for pulling their hospitals from the inner cities. And no doubt the main stream media would conviently forget to mention (except perhaps in passing) the real reason behind the closures.

I can already see the hour long news specials lauding those "courageous" hospitals that apostacized and demonizing those evil men (i.e., those bishops with a backbone) that forced the other hospitals to close.

But that's just a side show.

Is abortion so vital to their mindset that it's better to lose the whole hospital than to permit a pro-life health care provider?

Perhaps ... but let us also consider the possibility that there might be a larger plan at work.

The Democrat leadership in the Congress and President Obama have also both indicated their desire to revamp the health care system in the USA. They want the federal government to be substantially in charge of the system.

So how would one go about a federal take over of the health care system?

One of the tried and proven methods is to have a "crisis" - it allows massive federal take overs to seem justified by the current circumstances ... and once the feds have taken over ...

Well, as they say, possession is 9 tenths of the law.

So how would one go about provoking a crisis in the health care system?

What if hundreds of hospitals that served the neediest areas of the country - often the inner city - were to close forever in a short period of time?

Yep, that would be a crisis. It would leave the main stream media in an uproar. There would be calls for quick assistance from the Federal Government...

So how would we get hundreds of hospitals in the poorest areas across the USA to suddenly close?

Oh that's right ... that's how this whole post got started.

Now, I don't know if the political leadership really had thought this through, or whether it would be (for them) just a "happy coincidence".

But I do know that Satan is very sly ... and that we must always beware of his plans.

So please, pray for our bishops, our political leaders, and our country. Pray for those that need and those that provide health care services.

But because we are in this world, we also need to fight for what is right - and that means opposing any move whatsoever that would force a doctor or a hospital to provide murder as a "service".

When does a Cardinal become a Cardinal?

It seems that every time the Pope announces his intention to hold a consistory to create new cardinals there arises the question of when does a Cardinal-Designate become a Cardinal (i.e., could he vote in a conclave should it be needed, etc.)

According to Canon Law (Canon 351§2): "Cardinals are created by a decree of the Roman Pontiff, which in fact is published in the presence of the College of Cardinals. From the moment of publication, they are bound by the obligations and they enjoy the rights defined in the law."

So the question becomes, does the announcement (such as on Wednesday 17 October 2007) constitute "publication"?

The Holy Father indirectly made this clear in his introduction to the announcement. He mentions that he is abrogating “by one” the rule of 120 Cardinal Electors. The key point there is “by one”. For on that day there are 104 Cardinals under the age of 80 and thus Cardinal Electors.

He named 18 new Cardinal Electors. Thus giving us 122 Cardinal Electors if he intended the announcement as the official publication.

It should be noted that Cardinal Sodano turned 80 and lost the right to vote on 23 November 2007.

So, if the Holy Father intends to aborgate the rule “by one” as he clearly stated, then the official publication could not occur before 23 November 2007. (And, of course, 24 November 2007 is the stated date for the Consistory itself.)

Thus it becomes clear that the announcement is not "publication" - and so the Cardinal-Designates remain Cardinal-Designates until the consistory.

How Big Is A Trillion?

With all the recent discussions about spending a trillion on this and a trillion on that, it might be worth considering just what a trillion is.

Yes, its 1000 x 1000 x 1000 x 1000 or 1,000,000,000,000 but that doesn't tell the story.

Let's look at it another way.

If someone spent $1,000 the very minute Jesus Christ was born. I mean that's a lot of frankincense, myhr, and gold. But hey, God isn't born every minute either.

Oops, ok, enough of the sidetrack.

So then a minute passes and this someone says that was cool ... I'm going to spend another $1,000 this minute.

A minute later, he realizes this is fun ... and spends another $1,000.

So he does this every minute of that very first hour of Christ's earthly life.

And then he thinks of something else to spend on ... and continues to spend $1,000 every minute for the entire first day of Our Saviour's time on earth.

Thirty Three years later Our Lord and Saviour is Crucified.

Our little spender decides to keep spending $1,000 every minute to drown his sorrows.

A few decades later, still spending $1,000 every single minute, he finds the fountain of youth.

Oh, just in case you are keeping track ... after the first century, he had spent about $52 billion.

So, 20 centuries and change later ... having spent $1,000 a minute for every single minute since the birth of Christ ... our little spender would be up to $1.056 trillion.