An inaugural Mass co-celebrated yesterday morning by Pope Benedict XVI and his 22 new cardinals, among them Maltese Cardinal Prospero Grech, stood out for its cosmopolitan nature.
Latin and Italian were predominant throughout the Mass, which was held at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City. But in acknowledgement of the new cardinals’ diverse nationalities – 13 countries are represented among the 22 – Hindi, Chinese, French, Portuguese and English all featured.
This internationalist slant was also reflected among the thousands of faithful who crammed into the Basilica’s pews, with Romanian, Czech, Chinese, Belgian and Brazilian flags all present.
The first reading was in English, and the narrator’s broad Yorkshire accent made for a delightful, if unexpected, shift from the Latin. The prayers of the faithful, recited in a smorgasbord of languages, added to the lexical colour.
Cardinal Prospero, stony-faced and perhaps slightly overwhelmed, was prominent throughout the ceremony. He led the other new cardinals to the altar, first circling Bernini’s famous bronze baldacchino before taking their seats. Seated on the left-hand side and facing the Pope, Malta’s Cardinal had perhaps the best seat in the house.
There wasn’t a spare seat to go round but, when compared to Saturday morning’s cardinal consistory, the Basilica gave off an air of celebratory tranquillity. Cardinals and bishops chatted and posed for photos as priests slapped each other on the back as they took their seats.
Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech sat next to one another, while President George Abela, Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg and Maltese Ambassador to Italy Carmel Iguanez took their places among the foreign dignitaries.
Pope Benedict used his homily to draw parallels between St Peter, his chair – “the throne of truth,” as the Pontiff described it – and the new cardinals. He called on them “to bear witness to the joy of Christ’s love”.
As the two-hour Mass drew to a close, the new cardinals proceeded down the aisle and out of the Basilica, with Cardinal Prospero again being among the first to exit.
They were followed by the Pope, whose increasing frailty has confined him to a moving platform. Surrounded by dark-suited security officers, the Pontiff smiled and waved to his religious subjects, who craned their necks and snapped away on their digital cameras.
“Viva il Papa! Viva il Papa! Viva il Papa!” cried a group of six Ursuline sisters as the Pontiff was wheeled past them. Pope Benedict faced them and waved: it was all too much for one of the nuns, who covered her face and turned away in embarrassment.