During this morning’s Angelus following Mass celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, Pope Benedict XVI announced that a consistory will be held between February 18th in Rome. Below is the full list of 22 Cardinal-designates:

• Italian Archbishop Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, 65
• Portuguese Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, 73
• Spanish Archbishop Santos Abril Castello, archpriest of Basilica of St. Mary Major, 76
• Italian Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, president Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, 73
• Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State, 69
• Italian Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Interpreting Legislative Texts, 73
• Brazilian Archbishop Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, 64
• U.S. Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, 72
• Italian Archbishop Domenico Calcagno, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, 68
• Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Versaldi, president of Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, 68
• Syro-Malabar Archbishop George Alencherry of India, 66Canadian Archbishop Thomas C. Collins of Toronto, 64
• Czech Archbishop Dominik Duka of Prague, 68
• Dutch Archbishop Willem J. Eijk of Utrecht, 58
• Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Betori of Florence, 64
• U.S. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, 61
• German Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki of Berlin, 55
• Chinese Bishop John Tong Hon of Hong Kong, 72
• Romanian Archbishop Lucian Muresan of Fagaras and Alba Julia, 80
• Belgian Father Julien Ries, expert on history of religions, 91
• Maltese Augustinian Father Prosper Grech, biblical scholar, 86
• German Jesuit Father Karl Josef Becker, theologian, 83

Congratulations to all of the Cardinal-designates, especially Timothy Cardinal Dolan and Edwin Cardinal O’Brien.

We welcome the desire of our brother Agostino Cardinal Vallini,
our vicar general for the diocese of Rome,
many of our brothers in the episcopate
and of many faithful
and after obtaining the opinion
of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,
with our Apostolic authority
we concede that the Venerable Servant of God,
John Paul II, pope,
shall be called henceforth blessed
and that his celebration can be held in the places
under rules established by law,
each year on October 22.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Below is the full translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Easter Urbi et Orbi message, courtesy of Vatican Radio.

“In resurrectione tua, Christe, coeli et terra laetentur!
In your resurrection, O Christ, let heaven and earth rejoice!” (Liturgy of the Hours).

Pope Benedict XVI delivers 'Urbi et Orbi' Message | Credit: AP

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and across the world, Easter morning brings us news that is ancient yet ever new: Christ is risen! The echo of this event, which issued forth from Jerusalem twenty centuries ago, continues to resound in the Church, deep in whose heart lives the vibrant faith of Mary, Mother of Jesus, the faith of Mary Magdalene and the other women who first discovered the empty tomb, and the faith of Peter and the other Apostles.

Right down to our own time – even in these days of advanced communications technology – the faith of Christians is based on that same news, on the testimony of those sisters and brothers who saw firstly the stone that had been rolled away from the empty tomb and then the mysterious messengers who testified that Jesus, the Crucified, was risen. And then Jesus himself, the Lord and Master, living and tangible, appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and finally to all eleven, gathered in the Upper Room (cf. Mk 16:9-14).

The resurrection of Christ is not the fruit of speculation or mystical experience: it is an event which, while it surpasses history, nevertheless happens at a precise moment in history and leaves an indelible mark upon it. The light which dazzled the guards keeping watch over Jesus’ tomb has traversed time and space. It is a different kind of light, a divine light, that has rent asunder the darkness of death and has brought to the world the splendour of God, the splendour of Truth and Goodness.

Six years ago today, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 265th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, choosing the name Benedict XVI. Below, a reminder of what that day was like for Catholics around the world. Enjoy!

Credit: Reuters

Over the last week or two, the conflict gripping Libya has been in the forefront of most American and international news agencies. In the United States, the debate has surrounded whether or not President Barack Obama had the constitutional authority to commit U.S. armed forces personnel to the international response approved by the United Nations. However, I raised a more important question: is the use of military force in Libya moral?

Until this afternoon, the Holy See has been rather neutral on the conflict in Libya. The only public statements released from the Pope have been those offering prayers and solidarity with the people of the region. The Holy Father has also asked those in positions of military and political responsibilities to ensure the safety of civilians and the accessibility of humanitarian aid. However, today we see a different tone from the Vatican, one that is calling the current use of force into question.

Following the middy Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI released the following statement regarding the situation in Libya: