PRESS RELEASE
On the heels of Pope Francis creating 21 new cardinals of the Catholic Church, a groundbreaking new website launches today offering detailed profiles on members of the College of Cardinals ahead of the next conclave.
The College of Cardinals Report features in-depth reports on all the papabili — any of whom could one day be elected pope — allowing viewers to learn who they are, and where they stand.
The first interactive site of its kind, it enables visitors to study the Sacred College in ways never before possible. Readers can filter by relevant categories, discover geographical and statistical breakdowns through an interactive map, and offer amendments or additions to cardinal profiles.
The College of Cardinals Report is the work of an international team of Catholic journalists and researchers led by Vatican journalists Edward Pentin, author of the 2020 book The Next Pope — Nineteen Leading Cardinal Candidates (Sophia Institute Press), and executive director Diane Montagna. It is backed by Sophia Institute Press and Cardinalis Magazine, a French Catholic publication.
“The project aims to be a lasting resource for members of the Sacred College, and to inform the media and anyone interested in who could one day be pope,” say Montagna and Pentin.
The site comes in response to requests from cardinals and many others from around the world who want to know more about the Princes of the Church, any one of whom could become the 267th Successor of Peter. This fact-centered repository of information will be a reliable guide to the “Who’s who” in Catholic leadership for years to come.
In this “globalized, information age, the cardinals have so little knowledge of one another, and yet such a project has precedent: centuries ago, diplomats and other trusted scribes would compile in-depth and reliable biographies of the cardinals and distribute them to interested parties.”
A highlight of the site is how it showcases 40 cardinals in-depth, featuring their key biographical data, a summary of their main qualities and attributes, and extensive detail on how they have fulfilled the three main works or “offices” of bishop — sanctifying, governing, and teaching.
These comprehensive profiles also include a user-friendly, color-coded table showing where the cardinals stand on 10 key contemporary issues facing the Catholic Church and society.
Among those thoroughly profiled, the site singles out a selection of papabili — those widely considered to have the best chance of being elected pope. These include such cardinals as the Vatican secretary of state and seasoned diplomat Cardinal Pietro Parolin; Pope Francis’ peace envoy to Ukraine and Gaza and head of Italy’s bishops Cardinal Matteo Zuppi; and Hungarian canon law expert Cardinal Péter Erdö of Esztergom-Budapest.
Also comprehensively profiled are emerging young papabili such as the Church’s point man in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa; the progressive Portuguese poet and prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça; and French migrant expert and allegedly Pope Francis’ “favorite” Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille.
Many have speculated that an African pope could be elected next, and so we have included a thorough report on the leading emerging candidate from the continent, Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa.
Many have speculated that an African pope could be elected next, and so we have included a thorough report on the leading emerging candidate from the continent, Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa.
As the project expands, more in-depth profiles will be added, along with professionally translated editions beginning with a complete Italian version soon to be launched.
“We’re confident that, while such research will always require updating and refinement, the cardinals will find this a helpful and lasting resource,” Montagna said. “We also believe The College of Cardinals Report will aid media professionals, the Catholic faithful, and the public at large, helping them get to know these key Church figures who have such a significant moral impact on society.”
Pentin and Montagna pointed out the irony that in this “globalized, information age, the cardinals have so little knowledge of one another, and yet such a project has precedent: centuries ago, diplomats and other trusted scribes would compile in-depth and reliable biographies of the cardinals and distribute them to interested parties.”
They added that many of the recently created cardinals are less well-known than those of past pontificates as Pope Francis has chosen them from “periphery” locations. Francis also ceased holding regular consistories in 2014, leaving the cardinals with few opportunities to meet one another.
“When the conclave is called, the cardinals will have just a short window of time to become acquainted with one another, which is why the project is being launched now,” said Pentin. “While avoiding any wild predictions or prognostications, we hope this will be a perennial resource, helping them in a modest way to know one another, especially those who most pundits believe have realistic chances of becoming pope.”
[ENGLISH ORIGINAL]
WWW.COLLEGEOFCARDINALSREPORT.COM
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