Creating cardinals: Pomp, circumstance and giving input to the pope

Published: 2007-11-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI presides over his second consistory in late November, inducting 23 new cardinals into the church's most exclusive body. The ceremony to create the cardinals takes only an hour or so, but the celebratory and consultative events that surround it last four days. The working part comes first, when the pope meets Nov. 23 with the College of Cardinals -- including the cardinals-to-be -- in a closed-door assembly. The main topic for the morning session is ecumenism, while the afternoon is open to "free interventions" on other matters. On Nov. 24 the pope holds the consistory proper, a Liturgy of the Word, during which he pronounces a formula that officially creates the new cardinals. In the afternoon, the Vatican hosts receptions for the new cardinals in an "open house" event that attracts thousands of well-wishers. On Nov. 25, the pope concelebrates a morning Mass with the new cardinals, presenting each of them with a gold ring, a sign of their special bond with the church of Rome. On Nov. 26, the pope holds an audience with the new cardinals, their relatives and the pilgrims who have accompanied them.

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