
On Saturday, 7 December 2024, Mons. Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, Archbishop of Algiers (Algeria), Mons. Francis Leo, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada), and Fr Timothy Radcliffe, OP, were created Cardinals by Pope Francis at the Ordinary Public Consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica.
In his homily, Pope Francis urged the new cardinals to follow the way of Jesus, emphasizing the importance of returning to Christ as the center of their lives, cultivating a passion for encounter, and building communion and unity. “Dear brothers,” the Pope exhorted, “on the way of Jesus, let us walk together; and let us walk with humility, let us walk with wonder, let us walk with joy.”
At the end of the Consistory, we collected the testimonies of our newly created cardinal brothers.
Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco: “This is a blessed day for our Order, with three brothers created cardinals. I did not know the Archbishop of Toronto, but I was very happy to meet him. And, of course, to be created a cardinal at the same time as our brother Timothy Radcliffe is an immense honor. He was Master of the Order when I was a novice, and we later became friends. The Order is beautiful, and today I was very much looking forward to entering the College of Cardinals in the Dominican habit, which unites us as brothers. Above all, let us remain brothers to all the men and women of this world.”
Cardinal Francis Leo: “Dear brothers and sisters of the Dominican Order, I thank you for your prayers, witness, and charism that continue after so many centuries. I feel very close to all of you and ask the Blessed Virgin, St. Dominic, St. Catherine, and all our Dominican saints to intercede for me in my mission. Let us always remember one another in mutual prayer and cherish the Dominican community, a gift to the Church and the world. Thank you for your witness and closeness.”
Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe: “All my greetings to the Order, to my brothers and sisters. We will defend it. I will dedicate myself more than ever to you and the work we do together. Of course, I remain your brother above all things. Pray for me.”
The Office for Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff communicated the list of Titles or Deaconries assigned by the Holy Father Francis to each of the new Cardinals at the time of their creation in the Ordinary Public Consistory. Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco was assigned the Title of S. Cuore di Gesù agonizzante a Vitinia, Cardinal Francis Leo the Title of S. Maria della Salute a Primavalle and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe the Diaconate of SS. Nomi di Gesù e Maria in via Lata.
The new cardinals received the embrace of the Dominican Family in Rome at the Angelicum, at the General Curia and in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
Source of the featured image of this post: ©Daniel Ibañez 2024 @dibanezgut