Pope Francis, still bearing the physical signs of a recent injury, presided over a significant ceremony at the Vatican on Saturday, ordaining 21 new cardinals into the Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals. The new cardinals, who hail from 15 different countries, were formally inducted into the College of Cardinals during a solemn consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Despite being forced to use a wheelchair due to a bruised knee, Pope Francis was in high spirits as he greeted the new cardinals and their families. In his homily, the Pope emphasized the importance of following the path of Jesus, urging the new cardinals to serve the Church with humility and compassion.
“The path of Jesus is not a path of success, but a path of service,” Pope Francis said. “It is not a path of power, but a path of humility. It is not a path of triumph, but a path of sacrifice.”
The Pope also reminded the new cardinals of their role in guiding the Church and serving the faithful. “You are called to be witnesses of the Gospel, to proclaim the Good News to a world that often seems to have forgotten the values of compassion, justice, and mercy,” he said.
The 21 new cardinals come from a diverse range of countries, including the United States, Brazil, Nigeria, and India. They were formally inducted into the College of Cardinals through a ritual known as the “creation of cardinals,” which involves the Pope presenting each new cardinal with a biretta, a red hat, and a ring.
The new cardinals are:
* Archbishop Arthur Roche of the United Kingdom
* Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik of South Korea
* Archbishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr of Ghana
* Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye of Singapore
* Archbishop Adalberto Martínez Flores of Paraguay
* Archbishop Giorgio Marengo of Mongolia
* Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal of Colombia
* Archbishop Lucas Van Looy of Belgium
* Archbishop Arrigo Miglio of Italy
* Archbishop Gianfranco Ghirlanda of Italy
* Archbishop Fortunato Frezza of Italy
* Archbishop Manuel Roberto Obispo of Argentina
* Archbishop Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of East Timor
* Archbishop Peter Okpaleke of Nigeria
* Archbishop Leonardo Ulloa of Nicaragua
* Archbishop Richard Paul Gallagher of Ireland
* Archbishop Lazarus You Heung-sik of South Korea
* Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu of Italy
* Archbishop Konrad Krajewski of Poland
* Archbishop Mauro Gambetti of Italy
The College of Cardinals now numbers 229 members, with 132 of them being under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to participate in a future papal conclave.
The ceremony was attended by a large congregation of bishops, priests, and laypeople, who gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica to witness the historic event. The new cardinals were also joined by their families and friends, who had traveled from around the world to be present at the ceremony.
As the ceremony drew to a close, Pope Francis thanked the new cardinals for their willingness to serve the Church and urged them to continue on the path of Jesus. “May you always be guided by the spirit of service and humility, and may you always be faithful to the Gospel,” he said.
