Archbishop Timothy Dolan was in a heavenly mood today after learning that Pope Benedict named him one of the Vatican's newest cardinals. In a statement, he said, "I am honored, humbled and grateful ... but, let's be frank. This is not about Timothy Dolan. This is an honor from the Holy Father to the Archdiocese of New York and to all our cherished friends and neighbors who call this great community home. It's as if Pope Benedict is putting the red hat on top of the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty, or on home plate at Yankee Stadium, or on the spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral."
Dolan, who has led the New York Archdiocese since 2009, found out last night from the Vatican Embassy in D.C. He told reporters today, "I called mom last night. She said, ‘It’s about time.'"
The pontiff named 21 other new cardinals, and the Daily News reports, "Cardinals are considered to be the pope’s closest advisers and eighteen of the newly-appointed religious leaders, including Dolan, are under the age of 80." (Dolan is 61.) City Room explains, "Eight of the ten archbishops in the history of the New York archdiocese have been named cardinals, so the announcement was not unexpected. Still, the timing was surprising, because Cardinal Edward M. Egan, the archbishop emeritus of New York, will not turn 80 until April. Cardinals under age 80 are eligible to vote in papal elections, and it is unusual, although not unprecedented, for a diocese to have two cardinals eligible to vote at the same time."
Dolan also said today, "As a kid, I just wanted to be a parish priest... And to think that now the pope has named me a cardinal— that’s awesome."
