Pope Francis welcomed 20 new cardinals Saturday into the elite club of churchmen who will elect his successor and immediately delivered a tough-love message, telling them to put aside their pride, jealousy and self-interest and instead exercise charity.
Francis issued the marching orders during the ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica to elevate the new “princes of the church” into the College of Cardinals and give them their new red hats.
Retired Pope Benedict XVI was on hand for the ceremony, sitting to the side in the front row of the basilica, in a unique blending of popes past, present and future. Francis embraced him at the start and the end of the service and a cluster of cardinals lined up to greet him before processing out.
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In addition to naming 15 voting-age cardinals, Francis also made five elderly churchmen cardinals to honor their service to the church.
One of them, Colombian Cardinal José de Jesús Pimiento Rodriguez, wasn’t able to make the trip to Rome for the ceremony because of his age: He turns 96 next week and will have his red hat delivered to him.
