ROME
National Catholic Reporter

by John L. Allen Jr. | Oct. 26, 2012 All Things Catholic

One could argue that in its strong focus on Western secularism, the papacy of Benedict XVI has been somewhat Eurocentric. When that case is made, however, the consistory of Nov. 24 will have to be recorded as a counter-example.

This will be Benedict’s fifth crop of new cardinals, and for the first time, there’s not a single European in the bunch. Granted, there are only six total, but most observers still expected a couple of guys from the old continent — for instance, German Archbishop Gerhard Müller, the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or Rino Fisichella, an Italian and president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.

Instead, Benedict announced he would hold a consistory one month hence that includes only one Westerner: Archbishop James…