Five members of the Order to be created cardinals, including the Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Grand Prior of the Order, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who will be created Cardinal at the Consistory of 30 September 2023, accompanied the Grand Master on his solemn entry into the Holy Sepulchre on 10 May 2022.
On 9 July following the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis announced the creation of 21 new cardinals, whose "origins express the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God's merciful love to all people on earth".
Several of them are members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, foremost among them the Grand Prior, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem, whose jurisdiction and pastoral care extend to Latin-rite Catholics living in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus. He is also President of the Conference of Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions (CELRA).
Several other bishops and archbishops involved in the Order on various continents will also be created cardinals at the consistory on 30 September: Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town (South Africa), Luis José Rueda Aparicio, Archbishop of Bogotá, Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar, Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon (Portugal), and 82-year-old Agostino Marchetto, Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus.
Cardinal Filoni, Grand Master, Ambassador Leonardo Visconti di Modrone, Governor General, the Members of the Grand Magisterium, the Lieutenants and the 30,000 Knights and Dames throughout the world, offer their congratulations to the Grand Prior of the Order and to each of the new Members of the Sacred College of Cardinals, entrusting their ministry in prayer to the intercession of Our Lady of Palestine, Patroness of the Order.
(July 2023)