Pope Francis sent a brief but meaningful letter to the faithful of the Catholic Church. 21 new cardinals of the Catholic Church. In addition to welcoming them to the “clergy of Rome” and reminding them that this membership expresses “the unity of the Church and the bond of all the Churches with the Church of Rome”, the sovereign pontiff underlined three attitudes that, according to him, new cardinal members must have. Three characteristics that the pope borrowed from the description of Saint John of the Cross by the Argentine poet Francisco Luis Bernárdez: “high eyes, clasped hands, bare feet”.
With this in mind, the Pope explains in the letter that these “.Eyes wide open“The broadening of the gaze and the broadening of the heart, to be able to look further and love more universally with more intensity.”
As for “Hands joinedFrancis emphasizes that prayer is necessary in the Church “to properly feed Christ’s flock.” Prayer, which is the domain of discernment, helps me to seek and find God’s will for our people, and to follow it.
Finally, the section “Barefoot“The Pope emphasizes that they are referring to those “corners of the world intoxicated with pain and suffering because of war, discrimination, persecution, hunger and the many forms of poverty which will demand of you so much compassion and mercy.”
The pope ended his letter to the new cardinals with a call to a life of service: “Let the title of ‘servant’ – deacon – increasingly eclipse that of ’eminence.’
The majority of Francis’ cardinals
The 21 new cardinals will join the College of Cardinals on December 8 in what will be the tenth consistory of Francis’ pontificate, making him the pope with the largest number of cardinals in recent years. the cardinal consistories created: 10 in 13 years, while John Paul II convened 9 in 24 years and John Paul II created 9 in 24 years. Benedict XVIfive during his years of pontificate.
Currently, the College of Cardinals is composed, in its vast majority, of cardinals appointed by Pope Francis. 111 of these were created by this pope, while 24 others were named by Benedict XVI and only six survive from the period of Saint John Paul II.
