Pope Francis of the evening named the names of 19 priests who will receive a new dignity and become cardinals.
He stated that the solemn appointment of clergymen would take place in 9 days, i.e. January 22 in Rome. The pontiff announced his decision on Sunday in the Vatican after he finished reading the prayer “Angelus”. Prior to this, Francis personally baptized 32 babies in the Sistine Chapel (Capella Sistina).
Among the clergymen who will be elevated to cardinal dignity include 98-year-old Loris Capovilla (Loris Capovilla), formerly the Secretary of the Pope Roncalli (Roncalli). Roncalli, aka John XXIII, was the 261st head of the Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963, and in 2000 a decision was made to raise the pontiff in the face of saints.
New cardinals will be priests from different countries, such as the UK, Brazil, Chile, Korea, America and many others. It is noteworthy that Francis decided to ordain Pietro Parolin to this high office of the Vatican Secretary of State. As the Pope stated, the cardinals he elected “are a great example of a strong and long bond between the Church of Rome and other world churches.”
Meanwhile, the popularity of the current head of the Catholic Church continues to grow rapidly. The past 2013 turned out to be very favorable and successful for Francis.
So, the Pope was named the man of the year by several authoritative magazines in America, and a couple of days ago he became the first pontiff to be on the list of the most authoritative and influential people in China.
Pope Francis was awarded an honorable third place in the ranking of China's most respected people in 2013. But the honorary titles assigned to the pontiff do not end there either.
Recently it became known that the American fashion magazine Esquire considered the new head of the Catholic Church the most stylish man of 2013.
The editors of the magazine explained their choice by the fact that the style of Francis is an exact reflection of his worldview and aspirations. Thus, the Pope preferred simple clothes to luxurious outfits with precious stones worn by his predecessors, which emphasizes the pontiff's proximity to ordinary people. Being an extremely modest person, Francis refused the luxurious apartments that previously occupied the head of the Catholic Church, as well as expensive limousines assigned to him by status.
Francis, who was elected the new Pope in March last year from the very beginning of his activities, has attracted universal attention.
His name regularly appears in newspaper headlines, and the search term “Pope” has become almost the most popular in 2013.
During the eight months he was in his place of honor, the pontiff did not waste time in vain: he not only preached to be sympathetic and compassionate to everyone, he clearly demonstrated how to do this. Francis repeatedly visited shelters for orphans, special camps for illegal migrants, as well as numerous hospitals.
