.- The Cardinal Newman Society lauded Archbishop Raymond Burke, who was appointed by the Holy Father as a cardinal Oct. 20 and will be installed in a special consistory taking place at the Vatican next month.
Archbishop Burke is prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and is the ecclesiastical advisor of The Center for the Advancement of Catholic Higher Education, a division of the society.
Pope Benedict XVI named two dozen new cardinals on Oct. 20, including two from the United States: Archbishop Burke and Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C.. The new cardinals will be installed in a special consistory to be held at the Vatican, Nov. 20.
Archbishop Burke said, upon learning of his appointment, that he is “deeply humbled and honored by the announcement” and expressed “deepest gratitude to His Holiness for the great confidence which he has placed in me.”
In remarks to CNA in an e-mail Oct. 20, president of the Cardinal Newman Society Patrick J. Reilly explained that “Cardinal-designate Burke has been a tireless advocate for the renewal of Catholic higher education and a proponent of strong Catholic identity.”
“Catholic colleges are expected to conform to Ex corde Ecclesiae, an application of Canon Law, so we greatly value the perspective of the Prefect of the Catholic Church’s highest court,” he added. “And as cardinal and counselor to the Holy Father, his keen insight into American education, culture and politics becomes even more valuable to the Church.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Reilly offered his congratulations to the prelate, saying that Archbishop Burke’s “seat among the princes of the Church is surely a sign of encouragement for Catholics around the world praying for a deeper commitment of our institutions to their Catholic identity.”
