Eve of Christ the King, Pope Francis creates 17 New Cardinals; Pope's Job Description to them: "To Be Merciful In The Heart of The Church"

Vatican Radio - Pope Francis to new Cardinals: be living signs of mercy

Whispers in the Loggia  - To 17 New Cardinals, Pope's Job Description: "To Be Merciful In The Heart of The Church"

Vatican Radio - Titular churches of new Cardinals 

Crux - Three take-aways from today’s global crop of new cardinals 

This man, Ernest Simoni, was made a cardinal today. His training as a priest took place in secret, since Communist Albania was viciously opposed to the Church. One Christmas Eve, he was arrested, beaten, and tortured during 3 months of imprisonment. Eventually he was sentenced to 18 years of forced labour in a mine. When he got out, he was sentenced to 10 more years of labour in sewers. During all this time he stayed faithful to his priestly vocation, celebrating Mass from memory, and hearing confessions in secret. When the Communists fell and he was free to minister in the open, he says, 'the Lord helped me serve in many towns and reconcile vengeful people with the Cross'.  

Cardinals don't wear red because it's fashionable, or traditional, or luxurious. They wear it because, in theory, they ought to be faithful to the Crucified One to the point of shedding their own blood. If any priest deserves to wear the cardinals' red, Ernest Cardinal Simoni does.

- Fr Conor McDonough OP 

Find out more about each of the new cardinals with profiles over at Crux.