New Guatemalan cardinal says appointment is "sign of hope' for region

Published: 2003-10-01

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (CNS) -- Cardinal-designate Rodolfo Quezada Toruno of Guatemala City said Pope John Paul II's decision to name him a cardinal was "a sign of hope" for the people of Central America. Cardinal-designate Quezada said his inclusion in a list of 30 new cardinals named Sept. 28 was "totally unexpected." In a telephone interview Sept. 29, he told Catholic News Service, "I believe with all sincerity that the Holy Father has taken this decision not so much for me but for the country." Cardinal-designate Quezada said, "The pope has always been close to us in all our difficulties and problems. Undoubtedly, at this moment, this is a sign of hope for the Guatemalan people."

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