Dominican priest Father Timothy Radcliffe OP, currently serving as spiritual adviser and preacher at the second session of the 16th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, is set to be elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis.

After his Sunday Angelus, on 6 October, Pope Francis announced that he will hold a Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals on 8 December 2024, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Father Radcliffe is an English friar who served as Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992 to 2001.

The Consistory will take place before the opening of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope and after the conclusion of the Second Session of the so-called Synod on Synodality in the Vatican.

The Holy Father pointed out that the Cardinal-elects hail from around the world.

“Their origins,” he said, “expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God’s merciful love to all people on earth. Their inclusion in the Diocese of Rome also manifests the inseparable bond between the See of Peter and the particular Churches spread throughout the world.”

Moreover, he asked the faithful to pray for the future Cardinals.

“Let’s pray for the new Cardinals, that by confirming their adherence to Christ, the merciful and faithful High Priest, they may help me in my ministry as Bishop of Rome for the good of all God’s holy people.”

College of Cardinals

After the consistory, the Catholic Church in England and Wales will have four members of the College of Cardinals: Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and former Bishop of Leeds, Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, former Prefect of the then-Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Cardinal-elect Timothy Radcliffe. Three of the four will be Cardinal-electors, although Fr Radcliffe turns 80 on 22 August 2025.

Overall, the College of Cardinals will enlarge to 256 Cardinals, 141 of whom will be Cardinal-electors.

Pic: © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk