Dominican Friars
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA

Three New Dominican Cardinals

By Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP,

On December 7, Pope Francis elevated 21 new Cardinals, and three of them are Dominicans: Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe, OP, a renowned theologian residing in Oxford, England; Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, archbishop of Algiers, Algeria; and Frank Leo, OP, archbishop of Toronto, Canada, a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic. 

Friends of the Province might remember His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Radcliffe, OP, as receiving the Great Preacher Award at our Provincial’s Dinner in 2023, where he spoke about his work with the Synod on Synodality. He gave lectures for the opening retreat of the Synod in 2023 and 2024, and has remained a spiritual advisor for attendees both years. Fr. Radcliffe elected not to be ordained a bishop nor don the full regalia of most cardinals, wearing just a red biretta and zuchetta. Fun fact: when the Holy Father chooses a Dominican as a bishop, that Friar must adhere to his vows to the Order and may pursue his new ministry. Though a Cardinal but not a bishop, Fr. Radcliffe remains bound by his vows to the Master of the Order.

Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.
Timothy Radcliffe greeting other cardinals at the Consistory. (Photo by Javier Abanto Silva, OP)

 

Frank Leo and
Frank Leo with Antonio Cocolicchio, O.P., Provincial of the Province of Rome, who was prior of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva when HE Leo lived there. (Photo by Javier Abanto Silva, OP)

His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo, TOSD, a bishop since 2022, holds degrees from two Dominican institutions--the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, and our own Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. When he was studying at the Angelicum he lived at the Dominican Priory of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva with our own Fr. Thomas McDermott, OP, then on working on his doctorate, and credits him as responsible for part of his decision to join the Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic in 2007.

Jean-Paul Vesco and guests from Algeria
Jean-Paul Vesco (center, front) with guests from Algeria that came to Rome just for the occasion. There were 62 such guests in all.
Scott Steinkerchner and Jerry Stookey
Frs. Scott and Jerry as the sun came up over the Vatican on the morning of the mass with the new cardinals.

Frs. Jerry Stookey, OP, and Scott Steinkerchner, OP, both of whom worked for Fr. Radcliffe when he was Master of the Order (1992–2001), represented the Province at the Consistory.

(Top photo of the event itself in St. Peter's Basilica, courtesy of Vatican News)