VATICAN CITY, April 5: The Vatican still does not know the identity of a cardinal nominated by Pope John Paul II two years ago but whose identity he kept secret, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said Tuesday, adding that it may be contained in a testament he had left for cardinals.
“At the moment, nobody knows anything about it. Before the pope’s death, it wasn’t revealed,” Navarro-Valls told reporters at the Vatican.
“We don’t know if there is something in the text of the testament left by the pope. Naturally, if there is something we will communicate it when it is read.”
He said the document has not yet been read by cardinals, who have so far convened three times since early Monday to discuss the pope’s funeral arrangements.
One of the duties of the College of Cardinals before a conclave is to elect a successor to the late pope is to read any documents he may have left.
The mystery stems from October 2003 when John Paul II nominated 31 cardinals at a consistory which coincided with the 25th anniversary of his election as pope, saying he was keeping the identity of one cardinal a secret, without revealing why.
Appointing what in Vatican parlance is known as a cardinal “in pectore” (in the heart) is usually done when to reveal his name could expose the new cardinal to personal risk, particularly if living in a country where the Church is oppressed. This was sometimes done during the Cold War to protect bishops in communist eastern Europe.—AFP
