{UAH} Today's very moving consistory at the Vatican

This morning's consistory which witnessed the creation of the recently nominated

cardinals by Pope Francis was a unique event in man,y aspects. Among the moving

scenes was the discreet entry into St Peter's Basilica by Pope Benedict XVI ( 86 ) who was accompanied

by a group of prelates. he was very warmly cheered, and some shed tears on seeing him in public for

the first time since his resignation. He was then greeted by Pope Francis amid cheers from a packed

St Peter's Basilica and from outside where vast crowds who couldn't enter the Basilica were following the

ceremony on giant screens! There was indeed a multitude of people and crowds started arriving for this

11 am ceremony at 8 am !

And there were indeed very many official delegations accompanying the new cardinals. There were the Presidents of Haîti, Brazil, the ex-President of Nicaragua, the First Lady of Burkina Faso as well as the Prime Minister's spouse, a powerful delegation from Ivory Coast with several ministers and Islamic imams, ministerial delegations from Canada, South Korea, etc. and of course the very many diplomats attached to the Vatican and officials from the Italian Government and hundreds of anonymous VIPs

The ceremony officially began when the newly appointed Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Prolin, welcomed the two Popes and the gathered assembly and, on behalf of his new colleagues, promised loyalty to the Church and to the Holy Father.

Then it was the Pope's turn to pronounce his sermon in which he reminded the new cardinals of the cross they have to carry in order to march with Jesus Christ and that this reality wasn't neither an ideology nor a philosophy

but a responsibility that would require a cardinal to act and pray for certain categories of populations that undergo persecution, and are subjected to discrimination, exclusion and exploitation! The Pope's words were saluted with cheers from the thousands of faithful in the Basilica.

Then the Pope recited the list of the newly appointed cardinals as a way of introducing them to the public.

After this, the new cardinals were requested to recite the Creed and eventually to read their allegiance and full obedience to the Pope.

Then one by one each one advanced to the Pontifica Throne to get fro the Pope's hands the four angular clerical red cap that symbolizes the office of a cardinal, then each was given a ring and a special document that assigns his title to a church in Rome. Ivory Coast's Cardinal Kutwa, in armchair following a very serious injury in the leg, didn't advance to the Papal throne, it was instead the Pope who came to him. And the very old Cardinal Capovilla ( 98 ) was absent. he will be receiving his official instruments from a delegation sent to his place of retirement in North Italy ( precisely at Sotto il Monte, the birthplace of Pope John XXIII whom he served as secretary). Each created cardinal was requested to mingle with all other cardinals present and exchange greetings with them.

All cardinals were cheered by their delegations. The Haîtian Cardinal, Chibly Langlois, had very many people. Haîtians travelled from all over the world to join their many colleagues from Haîti. Hundreds came from France, Belgium, Germany and Italy! And Cardinal Ouédrogo's delegations from Burkina Faso were also quite numerous. They started arriving in Rome half a week earlier. Each day a place from there landed with pilgrims.

All bishops came and very many priests, nuns and brothers in addition to seminarians, and huindreds of lay people! There was of course that official government delegation. Ouédraogo is a very popular prelate in his country and in West Africa! Ivory Coast's Cardinal Kutwa was described by French TV as a very great figure of the Church. This was also evidenced by the profile of the vast delegation that accompanied him from Abidjan! And St Lucia's Dominican Cardinal Kelvin Edward Felix was also widely cheered by the hundreds of Caribbeans who accompanied him ( and those from diaspora ).

The Pope has been widely supported in his move to elevate to cardinalate these very great heroic men from the world periphery. Pope Benedict's presence at the ceremony was also aimed at backing this move. And there is now a growing spirit in favour of disastre devastated Haîti whose fearless young pragmatic cardinal will attract a lot of attention to the plight of his people. 

The new cardinals spent the rest of the day with their delegations, etc  and tomorrow (Sunday) they will concelebrate High Mass with Pope Francis who after will recite the Sunday noon Angelus prayer accompanied by an expected 200,000 pilgrims assembled in St Peter's Square. The charismatic Pope never stops making surprise moves every time. Just last week he requested the Argentinean Embassy in rome to renew his passport and identity card! Both were renewed for ten years. And the Pope is ready to travel using his native country's passport and not the official one given by the Vatican. He is programmed for the Holy Land, then eventually for South Korea ( probably next July). And he has an invitation to visit every country!!!

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Dr G.H. Kkolokolo  (Paris / France )