32 New Cardinals

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 304, 24 December 1945, Page 5

32 New Cardinals

THREE ARCHBISHOPS I BRITISH EMPIRE

EARLY APPOINTMENT

Italians In Minority In

Sacred College

N.Z.P.A. —Copyright.—Rec. noon

LONDON, Dec. 23

The Pope has announced the early conferment of cardinals' hats on 32 prelates. They are distributed as follows :< —One each to England, Canada, Australia, Poland, Armenia, China, the Portuguese Empire; two to Spain; three each to Germany, Central Europe and France; four each to the United States and Italy; six to South and Central America.

This is the largest creation of cardinals for four centuries, and

Feature of the creation of 32 new, Cardinals by the Pope is the elevation to the Sacred College of Dr. Norman Gilroy, the 49-year-old Archbishop of Sydney, who, like Archbishop Griffin, of Westminster, is a returned serviceman of Great War I.

Archbishop Gilroy will be the second occupant of the See of Sydney to wear the Red Hat. The first was Cardinal Moran, who joined the Sacred College on July 27, 1885, and died on August IC, 1911. Dr. Gilroy has been in Auckland twice. He came to the city with Archbishop Cattaneo, then Apostolic Delegate, in 1929 and he attended the Catholic centenary celebrations in 1938.

Dr. Gilroy was born in Sydney in 189G and entered the Postal Department in 1909. He served as a wireless operator on the steamer Bulla, carrying Australian troops to Egypt and Indian troops to the Dardanelles and was present at the landing on April 25. After the war he studied for the priesthood and ■ was ordained in 1923. He was secretary to the Apostolic Delegate from 1924 to 1931 and secretary to the Bishop and Chancellor of the Diocese of Lismore from 1931 to 1934. He was consecrated Bishop of Port Augusta in 1035 and was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney in 1937. On the death of Archbishop Kelly in 1940 he succeeded to the See.

Archbishop Gviffin is only 46 years of age. In the last war he served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. He was ordained priest in 1024 and was attached to the English College and the Beda College in Rome until 1927. He was then appointed secretary to the Archbishop of Birmingham, which office he occupied till 1937. when he became Bishop Auxiliary of the Archdiocese. His

for the first time leaves the Italians with a small minority in the Sacred College. A Consistory will be held on February 18 to confirm the appointments.

It is expected that the Pope will broadcast from the Vatican radio to-morrow explaining the choice of the new cardinals and the reasons for the delay in holding the Consistory.

Prominent conferments are:— Archbishop Bernard Griffin, West-

minster. Archbishop James MacGuigan, Tor-

onto. Archbishop Norman Gilroy, Sydney. Archbishop Francis Spellman, New

York. Archbishop Samuel Stritch, Chicago. Archbishop John Glenn, St. Louis. Archbishop Edward Mooney, Detroit. Bishop Count Conrad von Preysing, Berlin. The shortage of red silk is one of the reasons why the Pope has been obliged to delay the appointment of the new cardinals, says the Associated Press correspondent at Vatican City. The Consistory might have been convoked sooner if the fabric required for the clothing had been available. Each cardinal at present Rome prices would have to pay from £6250 to £7500 for a wardrobe, including red robes, ermine-trimmed purple cape and uniforms for his attendant.

appointment to Westminster In-1944 in succession to Cardinal Hinsley was in accordance with the policy of filling major posts with younger men.

Dr. Spellman came into world-wide prominence during the war because of his travels as Bishop of the Catholics in the Army and Navy of the United States. It was stated recently that he would visit New Zealand next year. Dr. Spellman is 56 years of age. He was ordained in Rome in 191G and after a period in parish work and Church journalism entered the Papal Diplomatic Service. He was Attache in the Secretary of State's office in the Vatican from 1925 to 1932. For the next seven years he was Auxiliary Bishop of Boston. He was appointed Archbishop of New York in 1939.

The College of Cardinals, when complete, is made up of 70 members, of whom six are Cardinal-Bishops, 50 are CardinalPriests and 14 are Cardinal-Deacons. The Cardinal-Bishops take their titles from the suburban Sees of Rome. In 1943 the College was reduced to 50 members, of whom 30 were Italians. Originally, the tendency to appoint Italians to high office in the Church arose because Italy was not a single nation and it was considered wise in an international church to have in key posts men who could be considered neutral. This reason disappeared in 1870, when Italy achieved nationhood, and it has been anticipated for some time that a new departure would be made in future appointments.

With one Cardinal in England, two in Canada (besides the new appointee, there is Cardinal Villeneuve, Archbishop of Quebec; and one in Australia, the British Empire will have unusually strong representation in the Sacred College. It is usual for the Archbishop of Armagh to he a Cardinal, but the See has been vacant since the death of Cardinal Macßory.