One of the members of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Central Asia was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis at the consistory on August 27, 2022. It was the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar Giorgio Marengo. His appointment attracted a lot of attention, especially since he became the youngest cardinal in the world. And most recently, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, on May 21, 2023, Cardinal Giorgio Marengo was entrusted with the parish of Saint Jude Thaddeus the Apostle in Rome.
This event is due to the fact that every cardinal priest is assigned a titular church (note: cardinal priest is one of the three established ranks of cardinals, along with cardinal deacons and cardinal bishops). By accepting the titular church, the cardinal becomes an honorary member of the Roman clergy. The need is conditioned by tradition. Earlier on, the election of the pope was not the privilege of the cardinals. For several centuries, only a Roman priest could become the Pope. When the College of Cardinals began to include not only the clergy from Rome, the cardinal-priests were associated with a titular church from among the parishes in Rome, in order to emphasise their connection with the bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. Now this is just symbolic and, in fact, the cardinals do not participate in the management of their titular churches, since they have their own rector, but the cardinal establishes a connection with this parish, including, if possible, celebrating the Liturgy there during visits to Rome.
The ceremony of receiving the title of Cardinal Giorgio Marengo began with greetings from the parish community and the rector of the parish, Monsignor Marco Ceccarelli, who presented the cardinal with a crucifix for veneration.
The cardinal had the opportunity to get to know the parishioners two days earlier during an evening of testimonies and a presentation of the mission in Mongolia, in the presence of Fr. Stefano Camerlengo, Superior General of the Consolata Missionaries.
At the beginning of the solemn Liturgy, Monsignor Massimiliano Boiardi, Master of the Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations read out the papal bull. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Central Asia was represented at the ceremony by the Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan Fr. Anthony Corcoran, Apostolic Administrator for Catholics of the Byzantine Rite of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, Mons. Vasyl Hovera, Apostolic Prefect of Afghanistan Fr. Giovanni Scalese.
In his homily, Cardinal Marengo, reflecting on mission in the modern world, and especially in Mongolia, said the following: “Following the example of Christ and having received the power of His Spirit, the disciples must know when to be present and when to be absent in order to contribute to the communion of peoples with faith… Mediation is necessary, but as ministers of the Gospel we must all be able to walk the world “on tiptoe” so that Christ Himself will draw him to Himself”.
The Church of the Holy Apostle Jude Thaddeus was built in 1994-1996. In 2020, Pope Francis gave this church the status of a titular church. The previous and first cardinal whose titular church it became was Vicar Apostolic of Brunei Cornelius Sim, who passed away on May 29, 2021.
During the third meeting of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Central Asia in April 2023, we spoke with the cardinal and asked how he feels about the new status and what this appointment of the cardinal means for him. “This appointment gives me a new awareness of the universal dimension of service. Being a pastor in a very small local church was the biggest change in my life for me, but with this new appointment, I feel how wonderful our faith is, when each pastor is responsible not only for his large or small flock, but he is included in the Universal Church. And having become a member of the College of Cardinals, I feel that I am on a higher level, and especially I feel an even deeper spiritual unity with the Holy Father, sharing this delicate service with him,” said Cardinal Giorgio Marengo.
Speaking about what has changed in relations with the flock, with the government and representatives of other religions after his appointment, Cardinal Marengo noted the following: “I think that the greatest changes have occurred at the level of relations with members of the government and representatives of other religious traditions. Of course, our people received this news with great joy, because for them it means that the Holy Father pays special attention to them. But from a practical point of view, I felt that the world around us – the local government, as well as representatives of other religious traditions – feel that they now have someone who also represents a higher level of the Catholic Church. This brings us closer to the higher stratum of society and the religious order.”
