Life

Pope Francis welcomes 17 new cardinals from six continents

New Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui, Central African Republic, receives the red three-cornered biretta hat
New Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui, Central African Republic, receives the red three-cornered biretta hat New Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui, Central African Republic, receives the red three-cornered biretta hat

POPE Francis has decried what he called a polarising surge in much of the world to exclude people with different nationalities, races or beliefs as enemies, as he led a ceremony welcoming 17 new cardinals from six continents.

The consistory ceremony in St Peter's Basilica formally inducted the churchmen into the cardinals' ranks.

One of the new "princes of the church," as the cardinals are sometimes called, an 87-year-old bishop from Lesotho, Africa, was too frail to attend the ceremony; his red hat will be delivered to him, the pope announced in Latin.

Francis used his homily to encourage the new crop of cardinals to be near to, not remote from, the flocks of faithful they will lead.

He said love is needed for "the conversion of our pitiful hearts that tend to judge, divide, oppose and condemn", and cautioned sombrely against those who "raise walls, build barriers and label people".

"We see, for example, how quickly those among us with the status of the stranger, an immigrant, or a refugee, become a threat, take on the status of an enemy. An enemy because they come from a distant country, or have different customs," the pope said.

Popes, in selecting cardinals, look for men who share their approach to the church's mission in the world.

Among the newly made cardinals is Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin, who defied the governor of the US state of Indiana, Mike Pence, by welcoming Syrian refugees. Cardinal Tobin in January will become archbishop of Newark, New Jersey; Mr Pence will be installed as vice president of the United States.

The new cardinals who pledged loyalty to the pope on Saturday included prelates from Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North and South America.

Some of their homelands include Papua New Guinea, Mauritius, Malaysia, Venezuela, Mexico, Bangladesh and Brazil.