Statement of Archbishop Vigneron regarding Archbishop Joseph Tobin being named a Cardinal by Pope Francis

Today, Pope Francis announced that Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin, CSsR — a native of Detroit who as a priest of the Redemptorist religious order had been pastor at Holy Redeemer Parish from 1979 to 1990 — will be made a cardinal at a Vatican liturgy on Nov, 19. Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron offered the following statement on Archbishop Tobin’s elevation to the College of Cardinals:

“Over the long and faithful course of Cardinal Tobin’s priestly service, the Church in Detroit has taken justifiable pride in him as a native son. Today, especially, we rejoice with him and his family as Pope Francis recognizes him as an outstanding pastor, worthy to be particularly united to the Church in Rome. All of us in the Archdiocese offer Cardinal Tobin and his family heartfelt congratulations and the pledge of our prayers as he takes up the new responsibilities which come with his being one of the Holy Father’s cardinals.”

In the Catholic Church, cardinals have the special role of electing a pope. Pope Francis today named 17 new cardinals, which would bring the number of cardinals worldwide to only 228, another being Detroit Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Adam Maida.

When appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 to become an archbishop and head up a high post at the Vatican, the Archdiocese of Detroit’s newspaper, The Michigan Catholic, quoted Tobin as saying “I carry a big part of Southwest Detroit in my heart.”