• Cardinal Paul Poupard, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture, will be special papal envoy to preside over the 22nd International Mariological Marian Congress that will take place in Lourdes, France, from September 4 to 8, 2008. In Crónica - 2008.

• The dates of death of the cardinals have been included in the catalog of consistories of the 19th century.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Lucius III in the consistory celebrated in December 1182 (IV).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Lucius III in the consistory celebrated in mid-1182 (III).

• On June 27, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation presented, for having reached the age limit, by Cardinal Camillo Ruini to the charges of vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome and archpriest of the papal Lateran archbasilica. The pope named as successor Cardinal Agostino Vallini, until now prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature. Furthermore, the pope named prefect of that tribunal Raymond Leo Burke, until now archbishop of Saint Louis, United States of America. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Lucius III in the consistory celebrated at the beginning of 1182 (II).

• On June 24, 2008, the Vatican Press Office announced that Pope Benedict XVI named presidents delegate to the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops Cardinals William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay (India); and Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of São Paulo (Brazil). The assembly will take place at the Vatican from October 5 to 26, 2008, with the theme "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church". In Crónica - 2008.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1644 to their respective biographical entries.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Lucius III in the consistory of December 1181 (I).

• Nineteen links to textual and pictorial information as well as biographical data about Cardinals Guy Paré, O.Cist., and Lotario dei conti di Segni (future Pope Innocent III), created by Pope Clement III in 1190, have been included in their entries, courtesy of Mr. Francisco Vázquez, from Valencia, Spain.

• Cardinal Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, archbishop emeritus of Tokyo, Japan, turned 80 years old on June 17, 2008, and, according to the regulation in the seventh paragraph of the introduction of the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis, lost the right to participate in the conclave. The cardinal electors are now 116; 86 have been created by Pope John Paul II; and 30 by Pope Benedict XVI. The cardinal non-electors are 78, of which 5 were created by Pope Paul VI, 66 by Pope John Paul II and 7 by Pope Benedict XVI. In Crónica - 2008.

• Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will be special papal envoy to the III American Missionary Congress (CAM3) and the VIII Latin American Missionary Congress (COMLA8), which will take place in Quito, Ecuador, on August 12 to 17, 2008. In Crónica - 2008.

• Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, archbishop emeritus of Bologna, Italy, turned 80 years old on June 13, 2008, and, according to the regulation in the seventh paragraph of the introduction of the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis, lost the right to participate in the conclave. The cardinal electors are now 117; 87 have been created by Pope John Paul II; and 30 by Pope Benedict XVI. The cardinal non-electors are 77, of which 5 were created by Pope Paul VI, 65 by Pope John Paul II and 7 by Pope Benedict XVI. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Urban III in the consistory of 1187 (II).

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1623 to their respective biographical entries.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Urban III in the consistory of Saturday of Pentecost 1186 (I).

• The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano announced that to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of Cardinal Agostino Casaroli (November 24 1914 to 9 June 1998), who was secretary of State from 1979 to 1990, several initiatives will take place. They will be sponsored by a committee presided over by Cardinal Achille Silvestrini and it includes cardinals, bishops, politicians, diplomats and academics from various countries. The opening of the celebrations will be on Monday afternoon, June 9, in the Roman basilica of Ss. XII Apostoli, where the cardinal is buried. There, at 6:30 p.m., Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals and former secretary of State, will preside the mass of suffrage. On the morning of Tuesday June10, in the Hall of the Synod at the Vatican, will take place a conference on the figure of the cardinal, who has his name linked to the so-called Ostpolitik of the Holy See. The opening intervention will be delivered by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B, secretary of state. It will be followed by a discussion on several items on "Agostino Casaroli, weaver of relations between peoples" with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialog; Jean-Bernard Raimond, former French foreign minister; and Wladislaw Bartoszewski, former Polish foreign minister. Agostino Giovagnoli, of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, will outline a historical profile and Cardinal Silvestrini will draw the conclusions.

• On June 7, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, until now archbishop of Florence, Italy, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. He will be apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until the installation of his successor. In Crónica - 2008.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1621 to their respective biographical entries.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Clement III in the consistory of September 1190 (III).

• It was announced in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, that the 400th anniversary of the death of Cardinal Francesco Maria Tarugi, Orat., will be solemnly celebrated in the evening of Saturday June 14, 2008, in the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, with a eucharistic celebration presided by Gianfranco Ravasi, titular archbishop of Villamagna di Proconsolare, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The cardinal is buried under the presbytery, to the left of the main altar, of that church, together with Cardinal Cesare Baronio, Orat.

• The dates of death of the cardinals have been included in the catalog of consistories of the 20th century.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Clement III in the consistory of May 1189 (II).

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the second conclave of 1605 to their respective biographical entries.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Clement III in the consistory of March 12, 1188 (I).

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the first conclave of 1605 to their respective biographical entries.

• Links have been established between the biographical entries of all the cardinals created in the 19th century and the catalogs of participants in all the conclaves celebrated in that century.

• Eleven links to textual and pictorial information as well as biographical data about the cardinals created by Pope Celestine III (1191-1198); and 112 links about the cardinals created, between 1800 and 1807, by Pius VII (1800-1823), have been included in their entries, courtesy of Mr. Francisco Vázquez, from Valencia, Spain.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1774-1775 to their respective biographical entries.

• On May 17, 2008, the Vatican Press Office issued a communique announcing that on Friday May 23, 2008, at 11 a.m., in the Altar of the Chair of the papal Vatican basilica, will be celebrated a Holy Mass of suffrage for the late Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, of the title of the suburbicarian see of Palestrina, dean emeritus of the College of Cardinals. The Holy Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, with the cardinals present. At the end of the celebration, Pope Benedict XVI will deliver the homily and impart the apostolic blessing. In Crónica - 2008.

• On May 16, 2008, the newspaper Le Matinal, of Cotonou, Republic of Bénin, reported that the Council of Ministers, in consultation with the Catholic Church has fixed the burial of the late Cardinal Bernardin Gantin on Thursday May 22, 2008, according to the following calendar: Wednesday May 21, at 6:30 p.m., arrival of the mortal remains at the international airport of Cotonou; 8:30 p.m.: departure for the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Miséricorde; 9:00 p.m.: departure for the Church of Saint Michel of Cotonou; .9:15: mass of the opening of the vigil; Thursday May 22, 6:30 a.m.: mass in the Church of Saint Michel of Cotonou; 7:30 a.m.: departure for the Stadium de l'Amitié of Kouhounou; 8:00 a.m.: official homages; 11:30 a.m.: departure for the basilica Immaculée Conception of Ouidah; 1:00: departure for the Grand Seminary of Ouidah and private burial, with the attendance of the bishops of Bénin only, in the chapel of the seminary. The Council of Ministers has instructed the Minister of Economy and Finances to allocate to the Committee of organization of the funeral the necessary means to assure the satisfactory development of the activities. The council also decided to declare May 22 a national holiday. In Crónica - 2008.

• On May 15, 2008, the newspaper Le Matinal, of Cotonou, Republic of Bénin, reported that the late Cardinal Bernardin Gantin will be buried on May 24 near the altar of the chapel of the Grand Seminary of Saint Gall, Ouidah. His mortal remains reposed in the chapel of the house of the Sœurs Petites Servantes des Pauvres, sixth district, 49 Rue Notre Dame des Champs, Paris; after two days, it was driven in the Funérarium of the Cimetière des Batignolles, in Paris (17º); and will probably arrive in Bénin on May 22 or 23. On May 15, a large governmental delegation accompanied by René Marie Ehuzu, C.I.M., bishop of Porto Novo, and by Eugène Cyrille Houndékon, bishop of Abomey, arrived in Paris to organize the repatriation of the body to Bénin. In Crónica - 2008.

• Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, bishop of the title of the suburbicarian see of Palestrina, dean emeritus of the College of Cardinals, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops and president emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, died on May 13, 2008, at 4:45 p.m., in the Hospital Georges Pompidou, Paris, France, following a long illness. He had been taken to that hospital from Cotonou, Bénin, on May 8, the day of his 86th birthday. A delegation headed by the Minister of Health has been sent to Paris to arrange the return of the body of the late cardinal to Bénin. A period of three days of national mourning will be observed in memory of the cardinal from Wednesday May 14. During this period, the flags will fly at half mast in all the national territory. Msgr. Anatole Dédégbé, vicar general of the archdiocese of Cotonou, expressed the sorrow of the Catholic Church in Bénin for the death of Cardinal Gantin. Upon learning the news of the death of Cardinal Gantin, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent a telegram of condolence to Archbishop Marcel Honorat Léon Agboton of Cotonou. After his death the number of members of the College of Cardinals is 194; 118 electors and 76 non-electors. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Celestine III in the consistory of 1195 (IV).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Celestine III in the consistory of February 20, 1193 (III).

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1769 to their respective biographical entries.

• On May 10, 2008, the Vatican Press Office announced that Pope Benedict XVI promoted Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., secretary of State, to the order of cardinal bishops and assigned him the title of the suburbicarian see of Frascati. In Crónica - 2008.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1758 to their respective biographical entries.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1740 to their respective biographical entries.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1730 to their respective biographical entries.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Celestine III in the consistory of 1192 (II).

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1724 to their respective biographical entries.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Celestine III in the consistory of 1191 (I).

• Obituary lists of the pontificate of Pope Gregory IX (1227-1243), with links from the lists to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1721 to their respective biographical entries.

• Additional information has been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Pius VII (1800-1823) in the consistories of July 11, 1803 (VII), March 26, 1804 (VIII) and August 24, 1807 (IX), taken from Philippe Boutry, Souverain et Pontife : recherches prosopographiques sur la curie romaine à l'âge de la restauration, 1814-1846 (Rome : École française de Rome, 2002); and Jean LeBlanc, Dictionnaire biographique des cardinaux du XIXe siècle : contribution à l'histoire du Sacré Collège sous les potificats de Pie VII, Léon XII, Pie VIII, Grégoire XVI, Pie IX et Léon XIII, 1800-1903 (Montréal : Wilson & Lafleur, 2007).

• Links have been established between the biographical entries of all the cardinals created in the 20th century and the catalogs of participants in all the conclaves celebrated in that century.

• Obituary lists of the Vacant Sees of 1241 and 1241-1243; and the pontificate of Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254), with links from the lists to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• On April 21, 2008, the Press office of the Holy See issued an announcement indicating that on Wednesday April 23, 2008, at 11 a.m., in the Altar of the Chair of the patriarchal Vatican Basilica, will take place the exequies of Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, of the title of the suburbicarian see of Frascati, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. The Holy Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, together with the other cardinals present. At the end of the eucharistic liturgy, the exequial liturgy will be presided by Pope Benedict XVI, who will have the homily and the rite of the Ultima Commendatio and the Valedictio. The late cardinal will be buried in the church of Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri, in Via di Porta Angelica, the parish church of the Vatican; it is served by the Augustian friars.

• Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, died of respiratory problems and diabetes, at 7:45 p.m., local time, on April 19, 2008, in the Clinic Pio XI, Rome, where he had been interned for a month. At the moment of his death, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals; his brother, a nephew as well as other relatives and members of the Roman Curia, were in his room. The funeral will take place in the patriarchal Vatican basilica on Wednesday April 23, 2008. Upon learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI, who was at St. Joseph's Seminary, New York, during his apostolic visit to the United States of America, prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent the cardinal's brother a telegram of condolence. In the morning of April 21, 2008, after the signing of the notary's act (rogito), the casket of the cardinal was taken to the church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini, in the Vatican. After his death the number of members of the College of Cardinals is 195; 118 electors and 77 non-electors. In Crónica - 2008.

• Additional information has been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Pius VII (1800-1823) in the consistories of August 9, 1802 (IV), January 17, 1803 (V) and May 16, 1803 (VI), taken from Philippe Boutry, Souverain et Pontife : recherches prosopographiques sur la curie romaine à l'âge de la restauration, 1814-1846 (Rome : École française de Rome, 2002); and Jean LeBlanc, Dictionnaire biographique des cardinaux du XIXe siècle : contribution à l'histoire du Sacré Collège sous les potificats de Pie VII, Léon XII, Pie VIII, Grégoire XVI, Pie IX et Léon XIII, 1800-1903 (Montréal : Wilson & Lafleur, 2007).

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1700 to their respective biographical entries.

• Obituary lists of the pontificate of Popes Alexander IV (1254-1261); and Urban IV (1261-1264); of the Vacant See (1268-1271); and of the pontificate of Pope Gregory X (1271-1276), with links from the lists to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• On April 12, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation, presented for reason of limit of age, by Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani, to the office of president of the Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See. To succeed him, the pope named Velasio De Paolis, C.S., titular archbishop of Telepte, until now secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. In Crónica - 2008.

• Cardinal Jozef Tomko, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congresses, will be papal legate to the celebrations of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress that will take place in Québec, Canada, from June 15 to 22, 2008. In Crónica - 2008.

• On April 10, 2008, at 5:30 a.m., Cardinal Ernesto Corripio Ahumada, archbishop emeritus of México, México, died, from complications of heart problems, thrombosis and diabetes, in his residence in La Noria, Xochimilco, México City. His body will be exposed in the Minor Seminary of the archdiocese of México on April 10, from 4 p.m. until the following day at noon; then, the casket with the body of the late cardinal will be transferred to the National Basilica of Guadalupe, where it will be in repose until Saturday at noon, when it will be taken to the metropolitan and primatial cathedral of México; Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop of México, will preside the funeral mass in that cathedral on Sunday April 13, 2008. Upon learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Rivera Carrera. His burial will take place in the crypt of the archbishops below the Altar de los Reyes of that cathedral. After his death the number of members of the College of Cardinals is 196; 119 electors and 77 non-electors. In Crónica - 2008.

• Additional information has been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Pius VII (1800-1823) in the consistories of August 11, 1800 (I), October 20, 1800 (II) and February 23, 1801 (III), taken from Philippe Boutry, Souverain et Pontife : recherches prosopographiques sur la curie romaine à l'âge de la restauration, 1814-1846 (Rome : École française de Rome, 2002); and Jean LeBlanc, Dictionnaire biographique des cardinaux du XIXe siècle : contribution à l'histoire du Sacré Collège sous les potificats de Pie VII, Léon XII, Pie VIII, GrégoireXVI, Pie IX et Léon XIII, 1800-1903 (Montréal : Wilson & Lafleur, 2007).

• Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, will be special papal envoy to the solemn celebrations of the 8th centennial of the translation of the relics of the Apostle Saint Andrew to Amalfi, Italy, which will take place on May 8, 2008. In Crónica - 2008.

• New bibliographic entries added to the site during the months of November 2007 to March 2008.

• Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery, archbishop emeritus of Tamale, Ghana, who died on March 6, 2008, was buried on April 1, 2008, in the Our Lady of the Annunciation metropolitan cathedral in that city, after a requiem mass was celebrated. On March 31, 2008, a vigil mass was celebrated at the Jubilee Park; President John Agyekum and Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama joined the huge crowd of Catholic faithfuls from across the country, Rome and Burkina Faso; also present were ministers of State, members of the Council of State and parliamentarians; Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, archbishop of Cape Coast, was delegated by the pope to officiate at the burial service; the government, the pope's representative and the Catholic Bishops Conference read tributes to his memory; Peter Akwasi Sarpong, archbishop emeritus of Kumasi, delivered the homily; Mr. Felix Owusu Adjepong, minister-designate for Energy, read a tribute on behalf of the government; wreaths were laid on behalf of the government, the pope, the Catholic Bishops Conference and family members. In Crónica - 2008.

• Contributed by Mr. Francisco Vázquez, from Valencia, Spain, additional information and links have been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216).

• Additional information has been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254), taken from Agostino Paravicini Bagliani's Cardinali di curia e "familiae" cardinalizie. Dal 1227 al 1254 (2 vols. Padova : Antenore, 1972).

• Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, will be special papal envoy to the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the apparitions of the "Vierge des Pauvres", which will take place in the Shrine of Banneux, Belgium on May 31, 2008. In Crónica - 2008.

• Obituary lists of the pontificate of Popes Innocent V (1276); and Adrian V (1276); of the Vacant See (1276); of the pontificate of Pope John XXI (1276-1277); of the Vacant See (1277); of the pontificates of Popes Nicholas III (1277-1280); Martin IV (1281-1285); and Honorius IV (1258-1287); and the Vacant See (1287-1288) , with links from the lists to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• Additional information has been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241), taken from Agostino Paravicini Bagliani's Cardinali di curia e "familiae" cardinalizie. Dal 1227 al 1254 (2 vols. Padova : Antenore, 1972).

• Cardinal Adolfo Antonio Suárez Rivera, archbishop emeritus of Monterrey, México, died on March 22, 2008, at 1:25 a.m., of a brain hemorrhage, at Hospital Murguerza, Monterrey. His body is exposed in the Minor Seminary of Monterrey, where hundreds of faithful have been paying their respects. On March 24, 2008, a funeral mass will be celebrated in the basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey and later, he will be buried in the metropolitan cathedral of Monterrey. Upon learning the news of the death of the cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the eternal repose of his soul and sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of Monterrey. The members of the College of Cardinals are now 197; 119 electors and 78 non-electors. In Crónica - 2008.

• Obituary lists of the pontificate of Pope Nicholas IV (1288-1292); of the Vacant See (1292-1294); and of the pontificates of Popes Celestine V (1294); and Boniface VIII (1294-1303), with links from the lists to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• At the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, S.D.B., bishop of Hong Kong, China, prepared the meditations and prayers for Good Friday's Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on March 21, 2008. The pope will preside over the ceremony. In Crónica - 2008.

• Contributed by Mr. Francisco Vázquez, from Valencia, Spain, additional information and links have been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Popes Honorius III (1216-1227); Gregory IX (1227-1241); Innocent IV (1243-1254); Alexander IV (1254-1261); Urban IV (1261-1264); Gregory X (1271-1276); Nicholas III (1277-1280); Martin IV (1281-1285); Honorius IV (1285-1287); Nicholas IV (1288-1292); Celestine V (1294); Boniface VIII (1294-1303); and Benedict XI (1303-1304).

• Additional information has been included in the biographical entries of the cardinals created by Popes Innocent III (1198-1216) and Honorius III (1216-1227), taken from Agostino Paravicini Bagliani's Cardinali di curia e "familiae" cardinalizie. Dal 1227 al 1254 (2 vols. Padova : Antenore, 1972).

• Obituary list of the pontificate of Pope Clement V (1305-1314), with links from the list to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• One hundred links to textual and pictorial information as well as biographical data about the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) have been included in their entries, courtesy of Mr. Francisco Vázquez, from Valencia, Spain.

• On March 14, 2008, the news paper My Joy Online, from Accra, Ghana, informed that the president of the republic, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, on Thursday directed that the late Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery should be honored with a state burial and funeral in appreciation of his statesmanship and tremendous contribution to society. A delegation of the Catholic Church and the bereaved family called at the Castle, Osu, to officially inform the president of the cardinal's death. Bishop Lucas Abadamloora, of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, led the delegation. The body of the late cardinal will be conveyed from the morgue to the Our Lady of the Annunciation metropolitan cathedral, Tamale, for reception and then a vigil mass at the Jubilee Park on Monday, March 31, 2008. This will be followed the next day by a requiem mass and final committal at that cathedral. In Crónica - 2008.

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1799-1800 to their respective biographical entries.

• With the completion of the biographical entries of the cardinals and quasi-cardinals created in the XIII century, 2,926 (70%) of the 4,190 names identified in the site now have biographical information.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of 1216 (X).

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of 1206 (V).

• On March 8, 2008, the Vatican Press Office informed that Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery, deacon of S. Elena fuori Porta Prenestina, archbishop emeritus of Tamale, Ghana, died on March 6, 2008, the occasion of Ghana's 51st Independence day. Upon learning the news of his death, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the repose of his soul and sent telegrams of condolence to Gregory Ebo Kpiebaya, archbishop of Tamale, and to Mr. Alipo Poreku, brother of the late cardinal. Arrangements for his funeral will be announced later. The members of the College of Cardinals are now 198; 119 electors and 79 non-electors. In Crónica - 2008.

• Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, will be special papal envoy to the celebrations of the 1350th anniversary of the birth of St. Willibrord, which will take place in Luxembourg from May 11 to 13, 2008. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of 1202 (III).

• On March 4, 2008, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, Spain, was elected president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference for the 2008-2011 triennium. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of 1213 (IX).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of 1207 (V).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of February 18, 1212 (VIII).

• At 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2008, in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, took place an ordinary public consistory for the canonization of four blesseds. At the end of the consistory, five cardinal deacons opted for the order of cardinal priests after having being in the former order for ten years: Darío Castrillón Hoyos, deacon of SS. Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano, protodeacon; Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, deacon of S. Saba; Lorenzo Antonetti, deacon of S. Agnese in Agone; Giovanni Cheli, deacon of Ss. Cosma e Damiano; all these deaconries were elevated pro hac vice to title; Cardinal James Francis Stafford, deacon of Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola, opted for the title of S. Pietro in Montorio. After the option of Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos to the order of cardinal priests, the pope confirmed Cardinal Agostino Cacciavillan, deacon of Ss. Angeli Custodi a Città Giardino, in the office of protodeacon. In Crónica - 2008.

• Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will be special papal envoy to the celebrations of the New Christian Millennium in Ethiopia, which will take place in Addis Abeba from May 2 to 4, 2008, in the occasion of the Ethiopian National Eucharistic Congress. In Crónica - 2008.

• Obituary list of the pontificate of Pope John XXII (1316-1334), with links from the list to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of 1211 (VII).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of 1205 (VI).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of December 1200 (II).

• On February 19, 2008, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R., major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, was elected new president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) at Jamshedpur. Also, the archbishop of Bombay and president of CCBI (Latin rite), Cardinal Oswald Gracias, was elected as the first vice-president. In Crónica - 2008.

• On February 20, 2008, Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, archbishop emeritus of München und Freising, Germany, turned 80 years old and, according to the regulation in the seventh paragraph of the introduction of the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis, lost the right to participate in the conclave. The cardinal electors are now 119; 89 have been created by Pope John Paul II; and 30 by Pope Benedict XVI. The cardinal non-electors are 80, of which 6 were created by Pope Paul VI, 66 by Pope John Paul II and 8 by Pope Benedict XVI. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent III in the consistory of December 1198 (I).

• Obituary list of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XII (1334-1342), with links from the list to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Honorius III in the consistory of September 28, 1225 (VI).

• Links have been established from the list of cardinals who participated in the conclave of 1823 to their respective biographical entries.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Honorius III in the consistory of 1221 (V).

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Honorius III in a consistory of 1219 (IV).

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Honorius III in the consistory of October, November or December 1219 (III).

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Honorius III in the consistory of January 8, 1219 (II).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Honorius III in the consistory of December 1216 (I).

• On February 7, 2008, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, bishop of Mainz, Germany, was awarded a doctorate honoris causa in theology by "St. Augustine College of South Africa" in Johannesburg, South Africa. Because of his illness, the cardinal was not able to travel to Johannesburg and the ceremony took place in his absence. In the same ceremony, an honorary degree was also awarded to Peruvian theologian Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez. In Crónica - 2008.

• One hundred fourteen links to textual and pictorial information as well as biographical data about the cardinals created by Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241); eighty seven links about the cardinals created by Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254); six links about the cardinals created by Pope Alexander IV (1254-1261); ninety two links about the cardinals created by Pope Urban IV (1261-1264); two links about the cardinal created by Pope Clement IV (1265-1268); sixty three links about the cardinals created by Pope Gregory X (1271-1276); and fifty six links about the cardinals created by Pope Nicholas III (1277-1280) have been included in their entries, courtesy of Mr. Francisco Vázquez, from Valencia, Spain.

• Obituary list of the pontificate of Pope Clement VI (1342-1352), with links from the list to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• New and better photographs of Cardinals Jaime de Barros Câmara (1946); Paolo Marella (1959); António Ribeiro (1973); Emile Biayenda (1973); Aníbal Muñoz Duque (1973), have been included in the Image Gallery (1903-2003); Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino (2006), in the Image Gallery (2006); Leonardo Sandri (2007); Giovanni Lajolo (2007); Stanisław Ryłko (2007); Angelo Comastri (2007); Seán Baptist Brady (2007); Angelo Bagnasco (2007); Estanislao Esteban Karlic (2007), in the Image Gallery (2007); courtesy of Mr. Oskar Juchnik, from Poland.

• On February 10, 2008, the first Sunday of Lent, the annual spiritual exercises of the pope and the Roman Curia will begin in the "Redemptoris Mater" chapel of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. This year's exercises are dedicated to the theme: "Let us welcome Christ, our High Priest. 'Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession'" (Hb 4,14). Cardinal Albert Vanhoye, S.J., former secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, will direct the exercises, which will end on Saturday, February 16. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory IX in the consistory of 1239 (V).

• On February 2, 2008, Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, archbishop emeritus of München und Fresing, Germany, ceased as apostolic administrator of that metropolitan see, when the new archbishop, Reinhard Marx, was installed. Archbishop Marx had been bishop of Trier until his promotion. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory IX in the consistory of 1237 (IV).

• On January 31, 2008, in the "John Paul II" Hall of the Holy See Press Office, the First World Apostolic Congress on Mercy was presented. The congress is due to be held in Rome from 2 to 6 April, 2008. Participating in the press conference were Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, O.P., archbishop of Vienna, Austria, who will be the president of the congress; Fr. Patrice Chocholski, co-ordinator general; and Mauro Parmeggiani, secretary general of the vicariate of Rome. On April 2 the third anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Pope John Paul II is commemorated. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory IX in the consistory of September 1231 (III).

• On January 30, 2008, the site of the archdiocese of Lyon, France, informed that Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, metropolitan of that see, was operated on for prostate cancer the day before. The operation was successful and the cardinal will convalesce for two or three weeks before resuming his normal activities. In Crónica - 2008.

• On January 24, 2008, Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and president of Caritas Internationalis, received the 2007 "Honorary Award" in appreciation of his life work from the Viktor Frankl Foundation of the City of Vienna for the Advancement of Meaning-Oriented Humanistic Psychotherapy, Austria. The board of the foundation had convened on November 28, 2007 to confer the prizes and scholarships for 2007. In Crónica - 2008.

• Obituary list of the pontificate of Pope Innocent VI (1352-1362), with links from the list to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory IX in the consistory of December 1228 (II).

• On January 26, 2008, Cardinal Adrianus Johannes Simonis, archbishop emeritus of Utrecht, Holland, ceased as apostolic administrator of that metropolitan see, when the new archbishop, Willem Jacobus Eijk, was installed. Archbishop Eijk had been bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden until his promotion. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory IX in the consistory of September 18, 1227 (I).

• Obituary list of the pontificate of Pope Urban V (1362-1370), with links from the list to the biographical entries of the cardinals who died during those years. The obituary list has been a contribution of Mr. Colin Mackie, Perth, Scotland.

• On January 19, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI received professors and students of the diocesan seminary of Rome, the "Almo Collegio Capranica", for the feast day of their patroness, Saint Agnes, which falls on 21 January. In his talk to them, the pope gave particular emphasis to the figure of Cardinal Domenico Capranica, who founded the institution 550 years ago, and a century before the Council of Trent. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the quasi-cardinals possibly created by Pope Innocent IV.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent IV in the consistory of December 1251 (II).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Innocent IV in the consistory of May 28, 1244 (I).

• On January 15, 2008, at noon, a letter from Cardinal Karl Lehmann, bishop of Mainz, Germany, announcing his resignation to the post of chairman of the German Bishops Conference, because of a life-threatening illness, was made public. The cardinal has occupied the chairmanship of the conference since 1987, when he was first elected to it. He has been hospitalized several weeks after serious cardiac and circulatory troubles. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Alexander IV in the consistory celebrated in December 1255 (II).

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Alexander IV in the consistory celebrated between August 17, 1255 and February 1, 1256 (I).

• The Press Office of the Holy See announced on January 12, 2008, that Pope Benedict XVI, for the 12th General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, that will take place at the Vatican from October 5 to 26, 2008, on the theme "The Word of God in the life and in the mission of the Church", has named Relator General Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., archbishop of Québec, Canada. Besides, the pope named Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, member of the Special Council for America of the Synod of Bishops. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Urban IV in the consistory of May 22, 1262 (II).

• On January 8, 2008, Kerknet, the web page of the Catholic Church in Flanders, reported that in the first week of January 2008, the mortal remains of Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., secretary general emeritus of the World Synod of Bishops and of the Office of Labor of the Apostolic See, who died on January 10, 2005, were transferred from the chapel of the canons of the patriarchal Vatican basilica, Campo Verano cemetery, Rome., where they had been temporarily buried, to the definitive tomb built in the church of S. Giuliano dei Fiamminghi, the cardinal's deaconry. The transfer and burial were done privately. A mass for the eternal repose of his soul will be celebrated on Sunday January 13, 2008 in that church. In Crónica - 2008.

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Urban IV in the consistory of December 17, 1261 (I).

• Biographical entry of the cardinal created by Pope Clement IV in the consistory of 1265 or 1268 (I).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory X in the consistory of 1275 (II).

• Biographical entries of the cardinals created by Pope Gregory X in the consistory of June 3, 1273 (I).

• On January 1, 2008, the members of the College of Cardinals are 199; 120 are electors and 79 are non-electors, having lost their right to participate in the conclave when they turned 80 years old, according to the regulation in the seventh paragraph of the introduction of the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis. During this year, three cardinals will turn 80. They are: Friedrich Wetter, February 20; Giacomo Biffi, June 13; and Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, June 17. Also during this year, five cardinal deacons will be able to opt for the order of cardinal priests after having being in the former order for ten years: Darío Castrillón Hoyos, deacon of SS. Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano, protodeacon; Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, deacon of S. Saba; Lorenzo Antonetti, deacon of S. Agnese in Agone; James Francis Stafford, deacon of Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola; and Giovanni Cheli, deacon of Ss. Cosma e Damiano.

• From January 1 to December 31, 2007, the site received 169,349 visits and innumerable electronic messages with comments, corrections, and additional information, both textual and pictorial. The counter records only the initial visit to the site and not the ones to other sections in the same occasion. During the year, the biographical entries of the cardinals created between 1278 and 1480 were added to the site. The interest in the site is a source of profound gratitude and a strong motivation to continue developing and improving it. Thank you!

©1998-2008 Salvador Miranda.