VATICAN CITY (CNS): In ceremonies that combined solemn tradition and the cheers of the faithful, Pope John Paul II created 30 new cardinals and asked them to preach the Gospel “to all people, without exception” on every continent.
The liturgies on October 21-22 highlighted the international mix of the College of Cardinals, the group that will one day elect a new pope. New members from 22 countries were added, including Cardinal George Pell of Sydney.
The Pope said the new cardinals reflected the “multiplicity of races and cultures that make up the Christian population”. He also created one cardinal “in pectore”, or in his heart, withholding publication of his name.
The Pope formally inducted the cardinals in a consistory held in a sunlit St Peter’s Square on October 21. The next day, he presented them with rings, sealing their special bond with the pontiff, during a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
