NEW CARDINALS: THE SCARLET IS AN EXPRESSION OF CHRIST'S LOVE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2006 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square this morning, Benedict XVI celebrated his first Ordinary Public Consistory, during which he created 15 new cardinals who come from eleven different countries.

  Following the opening liturgical greeting, the Holy Father read the formula of creation and solemnly proclaimed the names of the new cardinals. The first of them, Archbishop William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then thanked the Pope in the name of all the others.

  After a Gospel reading, the Holy Father pronounced his homily.

  He highlighted how the Ordinary Public Consistory eloquently expresses "the universal nature of the Church, which has spread to every corner of the world in order to proclaim to all people the Good News of Christ our Savior."

  After recalling that John Paul II celebrated nine consistories, the Pope pointed out that although "down the centuries the College of Cardinals has changed in many ways, nevertheless the substance and essential nature of this important ecclesial body remain unaltered."

  "Total and generous availability to serve others is the distinctive mark of those in positions of authority in the Church," he added.

  "The first 'servant of the servants of God'," said Benedict XVI quoting the definition of St. Gregory the Great, "is Jesus. After him, and united with him, come the Apostles; and among these, in a particular way, Peter. ... The Pope must be the first to make himself the servant of all."

  Turning to address the new cardinals, the Pope highlighted how, "more closely linked to the Successor of Peter, you will be called to work together with him in accomplishing his particular ecclesial service, and this will mean for you a more intense participation in the mystery of the Cross as you share in the sufferings of Christ."

  The word "caritas," theme of his recent Encyclical, best summarized the significance of their call as cardinals, said the Pope. "May the scarlet that you now wear always express the 'caritas Christi,' inspiring you to a passionate love for Christ, for His Church and for all humanity. You now have an additional motive to seek to rekindle in yourselves those same sentiments that led the incarnate Son of God to pour out His blood in atonement for the sins of the whole world.

  "I am counting on you, venerable brothers, I am counting on the entire College into which you are being incorporated, to proclaim to the world that 'Deus caritas est,' and to do so above all through the witness of sincere communion among Christians."

  "I am counting on you to ensure that the principle of love will spread far and wide, and will give new life to the Church at every level of her hierarchy, in every group of the faithful, in every religious institute, in every spiritual, apostolic or humanitarian initiative."

  He concluded: "I am counting on you to see to it that our common endeavor to fix our gaze on Christ's open Heart will hasten and secure our path towards the full unity of Christians. I am counting on you to see to it that the Church's solicitude for the poor and needy challenges the world with a powerful statement on the civilization of love. All this I see symbolized in the scarlet with which you are now invested. May it truly be a symbol of ardent Christian love shining forth in your lives."

  At the end of the homily the new cardinals made the profession of faith before the people of God, swearing their faithfulness and obedience to the Pope and his successors.

  One by one, in the order in which they were created, the new cardinals then came and knelt before the Holy Father who imposed the red "biretta" or hat and assigned them a titular or diaconate church in Rome as a sign of their participation in the Pope's pastoral concern for the city.

  The Pope gave each new cardinal his Bull of Creation and exchanged an embrace of peace with them. The cardinals then exchanged the same embrace with each other

  The celebration concluded with the prayer of the faithful, the recitation of the Our Father and the final blessing.
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