Pope Benedict elevates new cardinals in spectacular ceremony

By Nicholas Rigillo Mar 24, 2006, 12:19 GMT

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI called on his closest collaborators to help him bring 'new life to the Church' and achieve 'the full unity of Christians' during a spectacular ceremony formally installing 15 new cardinalsin St. Peter's Square on Friday.

Benedict spelled out his vision for his ministry during a rite known as 'consistory,' in which the newly-appointed 'princes of the Church' received the typical red hats symbolizing their willingness to shed their blood for the Church.

Cardinals are the highest-ranking church dignitaries after the pope and, since 1059, also act as his sole electors.

Addressing some 15,000 people gathered in Rome's famous piazza, the 78-year-old pontiff compared the College of Cardinals - the body that assists him in governing the Church - to 'a kind of Senate,' which he said should 'cooperate closely with the Successor of Peter in accomplishing the tasks connected with his universal apostolic ministry.

'I am counting on you, dear Brother Cardinals,' the pope said, '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.

'I am counting on you to... 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.'

Benedict has placed inter-religious dialogue and Christian unity at the top of his list of priorities during his nearly one-year-old pontificate.

Friday's consistory was Benedict's first since his April 19, 2005 election as pope.

Among the newly-appointed cardinals was William Joseph Levada, the US archbishop who succeeded Joseph Ratzinger as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Church body that oversees Catholic doctrine.

Speaking at the start of the ceremony, Levada praised Ratzinger for bringing 'brightness' and 'serenity' to the pontificate.

Also elevated to the role of cardinal Friday were Krakow Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the closest aide to the late Pope John Paul II, Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun and Boston Archbishop Sean Patrick O'Malley.

Ze-Kiun's appointment has been interpreted by Vatican experts as a desire by Benedict to reach out to China while the naming of O'Malley is seen as providing additional proof that the German-born pontiff wants to clean up the Church following a series of sex scandals involving Catholic priests in the US.

O'Malley oversaw the Boston diocese at the centre of the scandal after Cardinal Bernard Law resigned over the affair.

New and old cardinals have been meeting behind closed doors in Rome over the past days to discuss some of the main issues facing the Church, including its relation with Islam.

During such discussions, the cardinals are said to have pushed for more dialogue with Muslim moderates in a bid to improve understanding and 'peaceful coexistence', Italy's Corriere della Sera reported Friday.

In all, the College of Cardinals now has 193 members from all corners of the world. Of these, 73 are 80 years or older and therefore not eligible to take part in a future conclave.

In 1973, Pope Paul VI established at 120 the maximum number of cardinals that have the right to elect a new pope.