{UAH} A very moving consistory in Rome!

Today's consistory in which the Pope has created twenty new cardinals has been

a moving occasion and will continue to be so tomorrow Sunday ( 15/02/2015 ) when the

Pope will concelebrate Mass with the newly created cardinals in St Peter's Basilica ( at 10 am Rome Time).

The world has now a total 227 cardinals of whom 125 are under 80, therefore electors in case of a conclave.

This number will soon come down to reach the recommended 120 (electors) as soon several electors will

clock 80. But suppose a conclave took place now the 125 electors wouldn't all participate in it, five of them would be

excluded, to stabilize the number to the required 120, and so the last five elector prelates at today's conclave would be the ones

to back down in their quality as the newest of the new comers!! Terrible! Anyway such a situation can't occur because everything

is very carefully anticipated by the Pope who, however is reported to favour the expansion of the number of electors to 140 or 150

cardinals given that the Church is expanding very fast and that a number of places now need a cardinal. Tonga Islands with their

mere 120,000 inhabitants got a cardinal today, and this has been described as Pope Fracis's wish to show that even the small

are right inside his heart. Following today's ceremony Europe which has always had a monopoly in the number of cardinals falls

below the 50% bar to reach 47%. This shows how fast Pope Francis is fulfilling his promise on strongly internationalizing the Sacred

College of Cardinals and at the same time how he fulfills his pledge for a poor Church moving with the poor! And his philosophy has

today been blessed when thousands turned up to cheer the new cardinals with their accompanying delegations. And the universality

of the Church was visibly evident! 

The ceremony began on a high tune when Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI entered the Basica with his accompanying protocol officials.

he was very wildly cheered by the capacity crowd that had entered the Basilca hours before the ceremony. Other dignitaries representing

the Italian Government, and Ambassadors attached to the Holy See as well as the sky high profile delegations accompanying each cardinal

were also seated in time for the occasion. There was indeed deafening cheers when Pope Francis entered    preceeded by a long procession

in which one would also see the new cardinals dressed in scarlet red. they were cheered by the public and their delegations. 

When  all was set and the new cardinals had taken their seats right in front of the altar, Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State came forward

to read a special message in which he congratulated the Pope for the appointments. He also thanked retired Pope Benedict XVI for his presence.

He further singled out the absence of the newly appointed Colombian Cardinal Jose de Jesus Pimiento Rodrigues who couldn't make it due to

old age (96). And he strongly emphasized on a cardinal's role as being that of service to others and sincere collaboration with the Pope.

Then an Italian lay Christian read a chapter from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corintians, a text which very firmly elaborates on the characteristics

of love as an unfading gift from God. and this was the theme the Pope developed to outline the importance of a cardinal in the Church and in

society where the promotion of love and charity are essential goals to lead the faithful to Christ's exemplary love. The Pope was cheered at the end of

his sermon.

Then the service entered the phase of the very muc awaited creation of cardinals when the Pope read out their names an,d announced the formula for 

the creation. The new cardinals then recited the CREDO to profess their faith. Then one after another each cardinal was led to the Pontiofical Throne

and kneld down before the Pope to receive the red skull cap, the rectangular baretta hat, the ring and the parchemin  on which is written his new titles

and the name of a church in Rome attached to the titles. Each cardinal was madly cheered by his people and the public at large, with the following

prelates receiving the wildest ululations : Cardinal Mamberti ( France ), the three African cardinals ( Ethiopia, Cape Verde, and Mozambique whose 

Cardinal Langa ( 87 ) received astonishing thunderous cheers ), the Asian cardinals ( Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma who came with very large delegations), the young Cardinal from Tonga (53), the first cardinal of Panama, and the very popular Italian Cardinal Montenegro who received a

real uproar from all faithful, mindful of his very courageous action in favour of the boat people, and Jose Karl Rauber who had a very strong delegation

from his native Germany. After receiving their charismas from the Pope each new cardinal took a new place, this time among other fellow cardinals

with whom they exchanged cordially.

Then the Pope had to launch into another part of the day's ceremony, that was to promulgate the canonizations of three nuns, a French and two Italians.

and he chose the date of May 17, 2015 for the official canoniozation ceremony.

Then he gave his blessing and went to salute again Pope Benedict XVI. And the ceremony ended when the Pope moved away in cheers while all

the cardinals flocked Benedict XVI to greet him!

Later in the day each cardinal was allotted a hall to receive his delegation and exchange with them. the according to arrangements every delegation

took their cardinal to a formal reception organized in Rome, and that marked the end of the great day.

Dr G.H. Kkolokolo  ( Paris / France )