Toronto has a cardinal

Pope creates 22 new cardinals, including three from Canada, U.S.

New Canadian Cardinal Thomas C. Collins greets seminarians at the Vatican Feb. 18. The Toronto archbishop is one of 22 prelates inducted into the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI earlier that day.

Becoming a deacon, priest, or bishop involves an ordination. Becoming an archbishop, when already a bishop, and becoming a cardinal do not; these are honours like being knighted. They do, however, involve more work, for instance, giving the Pope their opinions in writing.

Pope Benedict XVI created 22 new cardinals from 13 countries, including three from the United States and Canada, placing red hats on their heads and calling them to lives of even greater love and service to the Church.

The churchmen who joined the College of Cardinals Feb. 18 included Cardinals Thomas C. Collins of Toronto, Timothy M. Dolan of New York; and Edwin F. O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and former archbishop of Baltimore.

In their first official act in their new role, the new cardinals were asked to join their peers in giving the Pope their opinion, in writing, on the canonization of seven new saints, including Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, an American Indian, and Blessed Marianne Cope of Molokai, Hawaii.

For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.