A red hat will most likely happen soon, too.
Vatican, Jun. 27, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, Missouri, has been named by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) to head the Vatican's top canonical court.Archbishop Burke will become the prefect of the supreme tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, a judicial body that is roughly the equivalent of the US Supreme Court. He will replace Cardinal Agostino Vallini, who has been named the Pope's vicar for the Rome diocese.
Archbishop Burke was installed as head of the St. Louis archdiocese in January 2004. His tenure there has been marked by controversy, with the archbishop-- an acknowledged expert on canon law-- meeting resistance and public criticism as he sought to enforce the Church's norms. He announced the excommunication of women who claimed ordination to the priesthood, and of the leaders of a parish that refused to acknowledge his authority. In each case the Vatican confirmed the archbishop's decision.
Some people see this job, which moves Abp. Burke to an administrative post in Rome, as something of a lateral move -- but clearly, his talents as a canon lawyer are being put to use on behalf of the whole church. In that Abp. Burke is relatively young, I think he has a bright future still ahead of him and we will eventually see him in the Curia.