Cardinals (Roman Catholic Prelates)

Subterms

    Latest story

    138 Shares80 Views

    Five Key Discoveries in the Family Tree of Pope Leo XIV

    by

    We went back 500 years and found his connection to some fascinating people.On May 8, an American cardinal named Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. Later that day, The Times, drawing on research by Jari C. Honora, a genealogist, reported that Prevost had recent African American ancestors. This revelation came from going back just three generations — what else might be found by looking even further into the past?Certainly, the fans of “Finding Your Roots,” the PBS show I have hosted for 13 years, wanted to know. My inbox was flooded with emails asking us to trace the new pope’s ancestry. In collaboration with the genealogists at American Ancestors and the Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, we were able to go back as far his 12th-great-grandparents, who were born in the early 1500s. Here are some of our discoveries, ​which you can read in detail in The New York Times Magazine feature.Pope Leo’s lineage is surprisingly international.His diverse ancestry reflects the history of American immigration. The forebears identified so far were born in France (40), Italy (24), Spain (21), the United States (22), Cuba (10), Canada (6), Haiti (1) and Guadeloupe (1). The birthplaces are unknown for another nine ancestors who have been identified.Many of Pope Leo’s American-born ancestors were Black.Seventeen of the pope’s American ancestors were Black, described in historical records in terms ranging from “negresse” and “free person of color” to “mulâtresse créole” and “quadroon.” Another Black ancestor, the pope’s grandfather Joseph Nerval Martínez, was born in Haiti, to which his African Americans parents migrated from New Orleans before returning to the city in 1866.A dozen of the pope’s ancestors were slaveholders — including several who were Black.We Traced Pope Leo XIV’s Ancestry Back 500 Years. Here’s What We Found.Noblemen, enslaved people, freedom fighters, slaveowners: what the complex family tree of the first American pontiff reveals.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    More stories

    • 125 Shares189 Views

      in Elections

      World Catholics See the First American Pope as Hardly American

      by

      Catholics around the world were skeptical at first about an American pope. But Pope Leo XIV’s multicultural and multilingual identity has put them at ease.The surprising election of the first American pope felt fraught and disorienting to Roman Catholics around the world, who had considered such an outcome unlikely and perhaps unwelcome — until Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and chose to speak a few sentences in Spanish.In an instant, the new pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, signaled that his identity would defy easy categorization. He chose in that pivotal moment on Thursday evening not to say anything in English or mention the United States. He seemed intent on conveying the message that he was not a typical American.It worked. Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago, has Creole heritage, lived in Peru for decades and speaks at least three languages, established himself as a citizen of the world. Catholics around the globe raced to claim pieces of his multicultural and multilingual background as their own.”He considers himself American, but he also considers himself Peruvian,” said Julia Caillet, a 33-year-old osteopath, who was in line outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for a special service for young Catholics celebrating the new pope on Friday evening. “He is a priest of the world.”At a time when President Trump has isolated the United States from its diplomatic allies and trade partners and upended much of the world order, some Catholics worried that an American pontiff might somehow bring the Roman Catholic Church closer to the tumultuous American government.Instead, Pope Leo appears to have reassured them, at least for now, that he would preserve the church as a global moral voice calling for peace and justice, especially for migrants, the poor and victims of war, in the mold of Pope Francis.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 113 Shares129 Views

      in Elections

      A United Front for Pope Leo Among American Cardinals

      by

      One cardinal who cast his ballot said the pope’s choice of the papal name Leo might signal a particular interest in workers’ rights.American cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church described the historic papal conclave that concluded this week as relatively easy, with no arm-twisting or overt politicking.When their work was done — and as the outside world waited to learn the new pope’s identity — the cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel “went wild,” one recalled on Friday, when the man they had elected privately told them that he would take the name Leo.That name, they said, could be an indication of the pope’s plans.“Leo was the first modern pope, who spoke in defense of workers’ rights and what workers needed to have a just wage, not only to support their family and eke out a living, but also to build a patrimony they could pass on to their children,” said Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, referring Pope Leo XIII.That Pope Leo wrote a landmark papal document called Rerum Novarum in 1891, addressing the needs and dignity of the working class, which helped spark a social justice movement amid the Industrial Revolution.“It wasn’t the defense of the right to property for people to accumulate as much as they want, but for poor people who did not have property as a patrimony to pass on,” Cardinal Cupich said.The issues of workers rights, immigration and bridges across divides appear to be taking shape as the issues that could define the legacy of Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 150 Shares189 Views

      in Elections

      These 10 U.S. Cardinals Have a Vote in Selecting the Next Pope

      by

      Six are joining in their first papal conclave, and four others participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.The College of Cardinals includes 17 members from the United States. But only 10 of those are cardinal electors, meaning that they are allowed to participate in the conclave and vote for the next pope. The other seven are older than 80, the cutoff to be an elector.Six of the 10 cardinals were elevated to the position by Pope Francis and are largely known as vocal supporters of his priorities, particularly on immigration, the environment and poverty. This will be their first conclave:Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, 76. Born in Nebraska, he was a bishop in South Dakota and an archbishop in Spokane, Wash. His appointment to Chicago in 2014 was one of Pope Francis’ early moves to reshape U.S. church leadership, particularly to show support for immigrants. Cardinal Cupich’s archdiocese covers about two million Catholics in Cook and Lake Counties.Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington, 71. The former bishop of San Diego is known for regularly speaking out on behalf of migrants, women and L.G.B.T.Q. people in the church and the United States. He has said that the Trump administration’s plans for a “wider, indiscriminate, massive deportation across the country” would be “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, 73. Before coming to Newark, he led the archdiocese of Indianapolis (where he bench-pressed 225 pounds at the gym). As a young priest, he ministered to people with AIDS in Chicago. He has said that he does not see “a compelling theological reason why the pope couldn’t name a woman cardinal.”Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington, 77. The first African-American cardinal, he was president of the United States Catholic bishops’ conference in 2002 and pushed to pass the Dallas Charter, which instituted a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse of minors. Later the archbishop of Atlanta, he supported L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics and commissioned an action plan after Francis’ encyclical on the environment.Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, 77. The Irish-American was formerly bishop of Dallas. Pope Francis made him the camerlengo, or chamberlain, the Vatican’s acting administrator when a pope dies or resigns. He was responsible for verifying Pope Francis’ death.Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, 69. A Chicago-born priest, he advised the pope on bishop appointments around the world. He is also a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, a religious order of men and women who follow the teachings of the fourth-century saint. Cardinal Prevost is also seen by some as a contender for pope, though a long shot. (There has never been an American pontiff.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 113 Shares109 Views

      in Elections

      Decoding the Vatican: Key Terms in the Papal Transition

      by

      From “camerlengo” to white smoke, here’s what to know about the words and phrases that guide the process after a pope dies.The transition from one pope to the next can be a mystifying time for those who aren’t familiar with the workings of the Roman Catholic Church — and even to some who are.The process is governed by centuries-old rules and traditions that come with their own vocabulary, much of it in Latin. The election of a new pope is likely to play out over weeks or months as a small group of Catholic prelates decides on the next leader of a global flock of more than a billion faithful.With the first papal transition in more than a decade underway following the death of Pope Francis, who was laid to rest on Saturday, here are some terms to know:ConclaveThis is the meeting of cardinals, set to begin next month, that will elect the next pope. The word comes from the Latin “with key,” and refers to the isolation imposed on the men (and they have always been men) as they make their decision inside the Vatican. They cannot leave the conclave except in rare cases, and phones, the internet and newspapers are not allowed. The cardinals vote by secret ballot until a two-thirds majority is reached, and a new pope is elected. The process was recently dramatized in the movie “Conclave,” which papal experts said presented a fairly accurate depiction. (The New York Times has written about some of the possible contenders.)College of CardinalsCardinals, known as the “princes of the church,” are the second highest ranking Catholic prelates, and together they are known as the College of Cardinals. There are 252 cardinals, appointed by the pope to assist and advise him on Church affairs, and when a pope dies, it falls to the college to choose a successor.The word cardinal comes from the Latin “cardinalis,” which means “serving as a hinge.” The group is led by a dean, a position currently held by Giovanni Battista Re, a 91-year-old Italian who has spent most of his career serving in the Roman curia. He will preside over the meetings that lead up to the conclave but will not attend the gathering, as only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for pope.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 175 Shares169 Views

      in Elections

      Cardinal Roger Mahony, Accused of Hiding Sex Abuse, Will Help Close Pope Francis’ Casket

      by

      Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who was accused of covering up cases of abuse as archbishop of Los Angeles, will have an official role in the ceremonies around Francis’ funeral.An American cardinal who was accused of covering up cases of sexual abuse by priests and was later stripped of some duties, is set to play an official role in the ceremonies surrounding Pope Francis’ funeral.Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the former archbishop of Los Angeles, will participate in the closing of the pope’s casket at St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday evening and in his burial at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday, according to Vatican announcements.The cardinals taking part were chosen based on seniority, a spokesman for the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, said at a news briefing on Thursday.Cardinal Mahony, 89, was the archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 until his retirement from the Roman Catholic Church in 2011. In 2013, internal church personnel files released as part of a civil case revealed that Cardinal Mahony had played a role in covering up cases of sexual abuse by priests.The documents show that Cardinal Mahony and others worked to protect abusive priests from punishment and withhold evidence of sexual abuse from law enforcement agencies. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest in the United States, also sent priests who had molested children out of state for treatment, in part because therapists in California were legally obligated to report evidence of child abuse to the police, according to the documents.In 2007, the Los Angeles archdiocese agreed to pay $660 million to settle claims from more than 500 victims, the largest settlement for priest sexual abuse at the time. Last year, the church agreed to pay another $880 million to settle abuse claims from 1,353 people.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 138 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      Who Will Be the Next Pope? Here Are Some Possible Contenders.

      by

      Guesses about who the next Roman Catholic pope will be often prove inaccurate. Before the selection of Pope Francis in 2013, many bookmakers had not even counted him among the front-runners.This time, predictions are further complicated because Francis made many appointments in a relatively short amount of time during his tenure, diversifying the College of Cardinals and making it harder to identify movements and factions within the group.Still, discussion of potential names began long ago behind the Vatican’s walls, and observers are predicting several possibilities. Some are seen as likely to build on Francis’ progressive agenda, while others would represent a return to a more traditional style. Experts also suggest that the College might favor a prelate with experience in the complexities of international relations.Here are some of the contenders.Pierbattista PizzaballaPierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, an Italian who is the Vatican’s top official for Middle East affairs, is considered a possible front-runner. Although he became a cardinal only in 2023, his experience in one of the world’s most heated conflict zones helped him rise to prominence.Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa in the West Bank city of Bethlehem in December. He has spent most of his career in the Middle East.Pool photo by Alaa BadarnehWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 163 Shares129 Views

      in Elections

      Pope Francis’ Legacy in the U.S.: A More Open, and Then Divided, Church

      by

      Months into his papacy in 2013, Pope Francis was asked about gay priests, and he responded, “Who am I to judge?” Across the United States, Catholics and non-Catholics alike took a collective gasp.For years the Roman Catholic Church in the United States had deeply aligned with the religious right in fierce conflicts over issues like abortion, gay marriage and contraception. But Pope Francis wanted a church “with doors always wide open,” as he said in his first apostolic exhortation.Words like these made the new pope a revolutionary figure in the United States, in both the Catholic Church and the nation’s politics. He challenged each to shift its moral focus toward issues like poverty, immigration and war, and to confront the realities of income inequality and climate change. Pope Francis offered a progressive, public Catholicism in force, coinciding with the Obama era, and at the beginning of his pontificate, he moved the U.S. church forward from the sex-abuse scandals that roiled his predecessor’s pontificate.He pushed church leaders to be pastors, not doctrinaires, and elevated bishops in his own mold, hoping to create lasting tonal change in the church through its leadership. He gave voice to the growing share of Hispanic Catholics, as the American church grew less white, and appointed the first African-American cardinal. He allowed priests to bless same-sex couples and made it easier for divorced and remarried Catholics to participate in church life.In doing so, he captured the imaginations of millions both inside and outside the American church who had long felt rejected. At a time of increasing secularization, the world’s most visible Christian leader gave hope to many U.S. non-Catholics who saw in him a moral visionary while much of public Christianity in America took a rightward turn.“He made the church a more welcoming place,” said Joe Donnelly, former Democratic senator from Indiana, who was the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See under President Biden. “For Americans of all different economic strata, for divorced Americans, for basically everyone in our country, his arms were always open.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 125 Shares149 Views

      in Elections

      How Will a New Pope Be Chosen After Francis’ Death?

      by

      Many of the rituals and procedures of selecting a new pope — designed to ensure secrecy and an orderly transition — have remained unchanged for centuries.Pope Francis has died, the Vatican announced on Monday, ending a groundbreaking pontificate. Cardinals will now decide whether to continue his approach or restore more doctrinaire leadership.The death of a pope sets in motion a chain of rituals and procedures, many of which have remained unchanged for centuries. They were drafted and refined to ensure secrecy and an orderly transition.Several Vatican officials step into designated roles to certify the pope’s death, organize a public viewing and a funeral, and to initiate the process for selecting a successor.Here is what to expect for the period between pontiffs known as the sede vacante, a Latin phrase meaning the seat is vacant.Here’s what you need to know:Who takes charge at the Vatican?What does the pope’s funeral look like?When does the conclave begin?How will we know when a pope is elected?Who takes charge at the Vatican?Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell was appointed camerlengo, or chamberlain, of the Holy Roman Church, by Pope Francis in 2019. Andrew Medichini/Associated PressWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More