Congratulations Cardinal-designate Wuerl!
It has been announced that the archbishop of my home diocese of Washington, DC – Archbishop Donald Wuerl – has been named a Cardinal! Congratulations Cardinal-designate Wuerl!
And, in a bit of shameless self-promotion, I will now be able to say that my book Who is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew has been endorsed by a prince of the Church!
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his reflections on the 2008 Synod on the Word of God, taught us that “Coming into communion with the Word of God, we enter a communion of the Church that lives the Word of God.” Eric Sammons’ reflections examine the titles and names given to Jesus by those who knew him, as recorded in the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Drawing on his own faith journey and his personal experience, Eric Sammons demonstrates how the lived Word of God — reflected in the lives and writings of the saints and prayers of the Church — of both the East and West — can help us to better know Jesus and to strive to form our daily lives into his likeness. Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew is a work of devotion and readers should find it both inspiring and encouraging.
— Cardinal-designate Donald W. Wuerl, S.T.D., Archbishop of Washington
Let us all remember to pray fervently for Cardinal-designate Wuerl and all the new Cardinals of the Church. May they always lead us faithfully to Jesus.
A question from a fairly-new Catholic: how come the new list of Cardinal-delegates is dominated by Italian bishops (10 of 24)?
I think most Cardinal appointments are due to the office the bishop holds. For example, Washington, Boston, Detroit are “Cardinal” sees, so whoever is bishop of those dioceses eventually becomes a Cardinal. This is due to the import and/or historic nature of those sees. Since Italy has dominated the Church over the past few centuries, it has a lot more sees like this than any other country, and thus a lot more Cardinals (per capita).