Yahoo – AFP,
Ella Ide, November 19, 2016
 |
| Pope Francis leads a consistory for the creation of 17 new cardinals from across the globe on November 19, 2016 at St Peter's basilica in Vatican (AFP Photo/Tiziana Fabi) |
Vatican
City (AFP) - Pope Francis created 17 new cardinals from across the globe on
Saturday, elevating them in a time-honoured ceremony to an elite body that
advises and elects popes.
Three of
them are from the US, while others come from corners of the world where the
Catholic Church needs a boost.
Dressed in
red robes, the "princes of the Church" knelt before the pontiff to
pledge their allegiance in a solemn ceremony.
Thirteen of
them are under 80 and therefore eligible to take part in the next secret
conclave to elect or become the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. They
are known as cardinal electors.
History's
first Latin American pope is famed for wanting to reach out to far-flung
dioceses often overlooked by Rome and he has largely shunned European
candidates, favouring low-key, pastoral figures or men he knows.
The
cardinal electors come from Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Central African
Republic, Italy, Mauritius, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Spain, the United States
and Venezuela.
Francis
warned them against falling victim to a "growing animosity" between
people, including within the Church, in a possible reference to divisions
within the hierarchy over the pope's bid for a more open, forgiving Church.
He also
urged them to fight growing xenophobia in the world and protect those such as
refugees, who are often classed as enemies.
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Pope
Francis (centre) is famed for wanting to reach out to far-flung dioceses
often
overlooked by Rome and he has shunned European candidates almost
entirely (AFP
Photo/Tiziana Fabi)
|
'Our
greatest wealth'
"How
many situations of uncertainty and suffering are sown by this growing animosity
between peoples, between us! Yes, between us, within our communities, our
priests, our meetings," he said.
"We
come from distant lands; we have different traditions, skin colour, languages
and social backgrounds; we think differently and we celebrate our faith in a
variety of rites. None of this makes us enemies; instead, it is one of our
greatest riches," he said.
The pope
gave each man a three-cornered red hat, telling them that the colour symbolises
"your readiness to act with courage, even to the shedding of your
blood" for the Catholic Church.
They were
also handed a gold ring of their high office.
Newly
created Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago said he and the others were ready to
act on the pope's words.
"It's
getting out of hand in society today, where people almost have this contagious
inflammation of animosity towards each other because they're different, they
speak different languages, they look different. Are we going to be swept up in
this violence?
"We're
going to reach out to those we disagree with, we're going to love our
enemies," he told AFPTV.
Cardinal
Sergio da Rocha from Brazil echoed his words, saying: "We cardinals have
to contribute... to make sure there is respect and dialogue everywhere, both in
the Church and in the world."
After the
ceremony, the new cardinals visited retired pope Benedict XVI at his home
inside the Vatican.
 |
Archbishop
of Chicago Blase Joseph Cupich, kneels before Pope Francis to
pledge allegiance
and become cardinal, on November 19, 2016 during a
consistory at Peter's
basilica (AFP Photo/Tiziana Fabi)
|
Honorary
'red hats'
The
unexpected pick of three Americans reverses a trend that saw Francis pass over
US candidates in his first two consistories.
The
youngest of the new cardinals is 49-year old Dieudonne Nzapalainga, the
archbishop of Bangui, who organised the pope's 2015 visit to Central African
Republic, where Francis opened the first "Holy Door" outside of Rome.
Some come
from areas where Catholics are a distinct minority: Patrick D'Rozario is from
Bangladesh where Christians represent just 0.03 percent of the total
population, and only fifty percent of those are Catholics.
The sole
Italian cardinal-elect is Mario Zenari, who is currently the papal envoy to
Syria.
Among the
four "red hats" over 80, who are given the title for service to the
Church, is Albanian priest Ernest Simoni, who reduced Francis to tears in 2014
when he recounted the two decades he spent imprisoned for his faith during
Albania's brutal communist rule.
Another of
the over 80s, Sebastian Khoarai from Lesotho, was not present because of ill
health.
Francis has
now named 44 cardinal electors, just over a third of the total of 120 allowed
by Church law.
 |
Newly
elevated cardinal, Archbishop of Bangui, Dieudonne Nzapalainga, speaks
with
relatives during a courtesy visit following a consistory on November 19, 2016
at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican (AFP Photo/Vincenzo Pinto)
|
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