Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, N.J., gives the homily during a Mass in Rome in January 2017. (CNS/Paul Haring) No one should be surprised by the news that Pope Francis named Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, to be a member of the Congregation for Bishops. There are three reasons why the appointment makes perfect sense. First, from 1991 until 2009, he worked in the curia of the Redemptorists in Rome, initially as general consultor and then for two terms as superior general. In that post, he would have become acquainted with the situation of the church throughout the world in ways few American bishops have. This knowledge of the global church is a desirable trait in all dicasterial appointments in Rome, but it is especially important in the Congregation for Bishops, which is charged with selecting the next generation of church leaders in most of the globe. For example, the largest national hierarchy in the world is that of Brazil, and the Redemptorists have a large presence in that country.