Newark, NJ Gets Their First Catholic Cardinal

Newark, NJ Gets Their First Catholic Cardinal

Newark, NJ Gets Their First Catholic Cardinal
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Pope Francis assigns Newark, New Jersey their first Cardinal.

To a world that has been seeing the growing estrangement between the Catholic Church in America and the Vatican under the revolutionary Pope Francis, the transfer of a bishop from Indianapolis to Newark and his appointment as a Cardinal is a huge shock. The transfer of bishops for such appointments has never been done before. The Pope seems to have taken his drive for a revolutionized Catholic Church a step ahead with this appointment. The archdiocese of Indianapolis was traditionally not seen as important enough to have a Cardinal, nor was the archdiocese of Newark.

Pope Francis’s new approach to the Church’s relationship with the people is not acceptable to most leaders of America’s church, who choose to be conservative. Pope Francis’s approach is one that takes religion out of the church buildings and on to the streets. Only a small number of Church leaders in the U.S. support Pope Francis since most of these leaders were appointed by his predecessors.

Newark, NJ Gets Their First Catholic Cardinal[/tweetthis]

However, the appointment of Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin as the next Archbishop of Newark is a clear indication of Pope Francis’s plans for the Catholic Church of America, especially because Archbishop Tobin is one of the few leaders who supports his ideas and has opposed traditionalist and conservative actions of the Church leaders.

The Catholic Church of America is standing at a crossroads today, split between conservatives and moderates. While the conservatives have enjoyed power during the tenure of the past two popes, the church is now headed by a revolutionary leader who may spell the end of the conservative Catholic Church in America.

The plans of Pope Francis to revolutionize the American Church are further highlighted by his immediate acceptance of the current Archbishop of Newark, John Meyers’s retirement letter. Traditionally, archbishops are allowed to continue in their position for some time after the retirement age of 75. However, the Pope was not only quick to accept his letter, but also lost no time in appointing his successor.

Archbishop Tobin was demoted from an important church position to the diocese of Indianapolis for his opposition of the investigation the Vatican had initiated on a group of American nuns based on allegations they were going against Church doctrines. Pope Francis, who not only stopped the investigations but even praised the nuns, has made a bold statement by naming Tobin as a new cardinal.

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