On December 7, Pope Francis will confer the title of cardinal on 21 future members of the College of Cardinals at a consistory at the Vatican. Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas will be one of them, becoming the fifth Cardinal in Lithuania’s history.
No major changes
After serving for many years in the Holy See’s diplomatic missions in various countries around the world, Makrickas was ordained a bishop last April by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. In October, Pope Francis announced that he would like to see Archbishop Makrickas among the future cardinals.
On the morning of November 21, just before his trip to India, the future cardinal told LRT RADIO that his appointment to the College of Cardinals is an extraordinary event and brings huge responsibility in addition to honour.
“I accept this appointment, this cardinalship, not only as a result of personal merit, because there are not many, but also as an appreciation of the history of our region, our country, the history of the Church, and of the Pope’s special attention to Lithuania, because he wanted to have a Lithuanian representative in the consistory, who will be a part of the College of Cardinals,” says Makrickas.
The new appointment will not bring any major changes to the Archbishop’s daily agenda at first – for the time being, the future Cardinal will continue with his existing duties at the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome.
“Of course, over time, the Pope assigns various duties to cardinals, such as being advisers or members of various councils. So, in time, one will have to work as an adviser or as a member in one or another of the institutions of the Roman Curia, but the full basic duties will remain in the Basilica of Mary Major,” says the Archbishop.
More cardinals from Global South
The liturgical status of a cardinal and an archbishop is the same, but cardinals have more responsibilities when a pope dies.
“The main duty of cardinals is to take care of the burial of the Pope and to organise the election of a new Pope, and to elect a new Pope,” he says, adding that his situation may be different.
“For me personally, it may be a little different from the other cardinals, because the current Pope Francis has expressed a wish to be buried not in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, but in the Basilica of Mary Major. So I’ll need to take care of the Pope’s burial,” says Makrickas.
The new cardinal appointments reflect the Pope’s inclination to see more clergy from the Global South, the part of the world where the Church is growing fastest. There are no longer as many prospective cardinals from Europe and North America as before.
“I saw some familiar names in this group of new cardinals,” says Makrickas. “I also met the future Cardinal of Tehran, Iran, and the new Cardinal of Belgrade. The new future Cardinal Leo Francis from Toronto is well known, as he also worked in the Vatican’s diplomatic service.”
The Lithuanian Archbishop is also well acquainted with the future Cardinal from India, with whom he worked together in the Vatican Secretariat of State.
“I don’t yet know the Ukrainian Cardinal who is working in Australia, but all the future Italian Cardinals are known to me because I have met them at one or another event or work, and especially the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, with whom we are working closely together. He is not only the head of the Vicariate of Rome but also the Archbishop of the Lateran Basilica,” says Makrickas.
One of the youngest cardinals
Makrickas is one of the youngest priests in the new group of future cardinals, and there are some interesting cases in this group in terms of age. Angelo Acerbi, at 99, is the oldest cardinal ever appointed in history, while the Ukrainian, at 44, is the youngest in history.
Together with the new cardinals, Makrickas will begin the Jubilee Year in December, and the Jubilee doors of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome will be opened on January 1.
“When there is less work to do here in the Basilica, I would love to return to Lithuania and celebrate my first Mass as Cardinal in Lithuania. Only time will tell when this will be possible,” says the future Cardinal.
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