Pope Francis to the new cardinals: may the cross and resurrection always be your goal

Pope Francis created 13 new cardinals on Saturday, urging them to remain vigilant so as not to lose sight of their goal of the cross and resurrection.

"We all love Jesus, we all want to follow him, but we must always be vigilant to stay on the road," Pope Francis said at the consistory on November 28.

“Jerusalem is always ahead of us. The cross and the resurrection are… always the goal of our journey ”, he said in his homily in St. Peter's Basilica.

In the seventh consistory of his pontificate, Pope Francis created cardinals from Africa, Europe, North and South America and Asia.

Among them is Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, who became the first African American cardinal in the history of the Church. He received the titular church of S. Maria Immacolata in Grottarossa.

Archbishop Celestino Aós Braco, of Santiago de Chile; Archbishop Antoine Kambanda of Kigali, Rwanda; Mons. Augusto Paolo Lojudice of Siena, Italy; and Fra Mauro Gambetti, Custos of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, also entered the College of Cardinals.

Pope Francis placed a red hat on each cardinal's head and said: “For the glory of Almighty God and the honor of the Apostolic See, receive the scarlet hat as a sign of the dignity of the cardinal, signifying your willingness to act with courage, even to the shedding of your blood, for the increase of the Christian faith, for the peace and tranquility of the people of God and for the freedom and growth of the Holy Roman Church ".

Each of the newly elevated cardinals received a ring and was assigned a titular church, tying them to the diocese of Rome.

In his homily, the pope warned the new cardinals of the temptation to follow a different path from that of Calvary.

"The path of those who, perhaps even without realizing it, 'use' the Lord for their own progress," he said. “Those who - as St Paul says - look to their own interests and not to those of Christ”.

“The scarlet of a cardinal's robes, which is the color of blood, can, for a worldly spirit, become the color of a secular 'eminence',” Francis said, warning them of “the many types of corruption in priestly life. "

Pope Francis encouraged the cardinals to re-read St Augustine's sermon number 46, calling it a "magnificent sermon on shepherds".

"Only the Lord, through his cross and resurrection, can save his lost friends who risk getting lost," he said.

Nine of the new cardinals are under the age of 80 and therefore can vote in a future conclave. Among them are the Maltese bishop Mario Grech, who became secretary general of the Synod of Bishops in September, and the Italian bishop Marcello Semeraro, who was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in October.

The cardinals who attended the consistory in St. Peter's Basilica all wore face masks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Two designated cardinals were unable to attend the consistory due to travel restrictions. Cardinal designate Cornelius Sim, apostolic vicar of Brunei and cardinal designate Jose F. Advincula of Capiz, Philippines followed the consistory via video link and will each receive a cap, cardinal's ring and title linked to a Roman parish from the their apostolic nuncio "at another time to be determined".

Italian cappuccino p. Raniero Cantalamessa received a red hat in St. Peter's Basilica while wearing his Franciscan habit. Cantalamessa, who has served as a Preacher of the Papal Household since 1980, told CNA on November 19 that Pope Francis had allowed him to become a cardinal without being ordained a bishop. At 86 he will not be able to vote in a future conclave.

Three others who have received red hats cannot vote in conclaves: Bishop Emeritus Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico; Mons. Silvano Maria Tomasi, Permanent Observer Emeritus at the United Nations Office and the specialized agencies in Geneva; and Msgr. Enrico Feroci, parish priest of Santa Maria del Divino Amore in Castel di Leva, Rome.

Pope Francis and the 11 new cardinals present in Rome visited Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery after the Consistory. Each new cardinal was introduced to the pope emeritus, who gave them a blessing after singing the Salve Regina together, according to the Holy See Press Office.

With this consistory, the number of voting cardinals reaches 128 and the number of non-voters to 101 for a total of 229 cardinals