Three Jesuits are appointed cardinals by Pope Francis
VATICAN - September 1, 2019
After the Angelus on Sunday, September 1, Pope Francis announced the names of 13 new cardinals who will be created during a consistory on October 5. Among them are three Jesuits:
Most Reverend Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg (he is from the Province of Japan since he was a missionary in Japan before being appointed Archbishop of Luxembourg);
Fr. Michael Czerny, of the Province of Canada, currently Under-Secretary of the Migrants Section of the Dicastery for the service of integral human development;
Most Reverend Sigitas Tamkevičius, Archbishop Emeritus of Kaunas (Lithuania).
Archbishop Tamkevičius being more than 80 years old, his appointment as cardinal is made because of his distinguished service to the Church; he will not be among the electors in the context of a future conclave. He was persecuted and even sent to a labour camp when Lithuania was under Soviet rule. A diocesan priest, he joined the Society of Jesus in 1968; it was then illegal to enter a religious order. He had protested against the discrimination shown by the civil authorities at the time. He was Archbishop of Kaunas from 1996 to 2015.
Archbishop Hollerich and Fr. Czerny confirmed in short interviews that they had not been informed of their appointments until they heard about them from friends and family after the Holy Father’s announcement on Sunday.
Jean-Claude Hollerich is well known in the General Curia. Last year, during the Synod on Youth, of which he was one of the participants, he resided at the Curia. His missionary experience in Japan marked his approach and openness to the various religious traditions. His leadership has been recognized by his fellow bishops as he is currently President of the European Bishops’ Conference.
Michael Czerny has served the Society of Jesus and the Church internationally in various ways over the decades, especially in the social sphere. He was one of those who offered to replace the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador at the Jesuit University of San Salvador. He was Secretary of the Secretariat for Social Justice at the General Curia, created the African Jesuit Network on AIDS (AJAN) and then served on the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace before moving to his current position in the dicastery for the service of integral development. He was also appointed Secretary of the Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region to be held in October.
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