Pope Francis has elevated 21 new cardinals in a grand ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, further expanding the College of Cardinals and reflecting the global diversity of the Catholic Church. The new cardinals, who were chosen by the Pope earlier this year, come from 15 different countries, including some from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The ceremony, known as a consistory, was attended by the new cardinals, their families, and other high-ranking officials of the Catholic Church. During the ceremony, the Pope formally elevated the new cardinals to their new rank, bestowing upon them the traditional red biretta and ring.
The new cardinals are:
* Archbishop Augusto Paolo Lojudice of Siena, Italy
* Archbishop Mauro Gambetti, president of the Pontifical Villas, Italy
* Archbishop Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Italy
* Archbishop Antoine Kambanda of Kigali, Rwanda
* Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, USA
* Archbishop Jose Advincula of Capiz, Philippines
* Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco of Santiago, Chile
* Archbishop Cornelius Sim of Brunei
* Archbishop Paolo Borgia of Kuwait
* Archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves of Toledo, Spain
* Archbishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, Italy
* Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
* Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg
* Archbishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri of Huehuetenango, Guatemala
* Archbishop Matej Škarica of Maribor, Slovenia
* Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo of Jakarta, Indonesia
* Archbishop Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez of Camagüey, Cuba
* Archbishop Mario Grech of Malta
* Archbishop Bernardino Piñera Carvallo of La Serena, Chile
* Archbishop Michael Czerny, under-secretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Vatican City
The new cardinals bring the total number of cardinals to 229, with 128 of them eligible to vote in a papal conclave. The College of Cardinals is responsible for advising the Pope on matters of great importance and for electing a new Pope when the current one resigns or passes away.
Pope Francis has made it a priority to diversify the College of Cardinals, appointing cardinals from all over the world, including from countries that have never had a cardinal before. This move is seen as an effort to make the Catholic Church more inclusive and representative of its global membership.
In his homily during the ceremony, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of the College of Cardinals in the life of the Church, saying that they are called to be “servants of the Gospel” and to “bear witness to the faith.” He also encouraged the new cardinals to be “humble and gentle” in their ministry, and to “always seek the greater glory of God.”
The creation of new cardinals is a significant event in the life of the Catholic Church, and it is seen as an opportunity for the Pope to shape the future of the Church. With the new cardinals, Pope Francis is continuing his efforts to reform the Church and to make it more relevant to the needs of the modern world.
