Pope decries surge of polarization over race, faith
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Pope Francis on Saturday decried what he called a polarizing surge in much of the world to exclude people with different nationalities, races or beliefs as enemies, as he led a ceremony welcoming 17 new cardinals from six continents. The consistory ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica formally inducted the churchmen into the cardinals' ranks. One of the new "princes of the church," as the cardinals are sometimes called, an 87-year-old bishop from Lesotho, Africa, was too frail to attend the ceremony; his red hat will be delivered to him, the pope announced in Latin.
Francis used his homily to encourage the new crop of cardinals to be near to, not remote from, the flocks of faithful they will lead. He said love is needed for "the conversion of our pitiful hearts that tend to judge, divide, oppose and condemn," and cautioned somberly against those who "raise walls, build barriers and label people."
"We see, for example, how quickly those among us with the status of the stranger, an immigrant, or a refugee, become a threat, take on the status of an enemy. An enemy because they come from a distant country, or have different customs," the pope said.
