Pope Francis creates 19 new Cardinals

Pope Francis created nineteen new Cardinals on Saturday, the Feast of the Chair of St Peter the Apostle. The newly created Cardinals received the insignia of their office – the red biretta and the cardinal’s ring – in a streamlined ceremony conducted entirely in Latin.

Eighteen of the new princes of the Church were present, while Cardinal Loris Capovilla, the 98 year-old former secretary to Bl. John XXIII and Archbishop-emeritus of Chieti-Vasto in Italy, was created in absentia. 

A very special guest was on hand, as well: Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI, whom Pope Francis had invited to share in the occasion. The Pope and the Pope-emeritus embraced warmly and exchanged greetings before the ceremony began.

In his allocution, Pope Francis encouraged the whole College of Cardinals to recognize their office as one of service and readiness for sacrifice. “The Church needs your courage, to proclaim the Gospel at all times,” said Pope Francis, “both in season and out of season, and to bear witness to the truth.”

The Holy Father went on to say, “The Church needs your prayer for the progress of Christ’s flock,” reminding the Cardinals that prayer, along with the proclamation of the Word, is the primary task of the Bishop.

Calling on the Cardinals to pray especially for suffering peoples, and to express with him their spiritual closeness to the ecclesial communities and to all Christians suffering from discrimination and persecution, he said, “The Church needs us also to be peacemakers, building peace by our words, our hopes and our prayers.”