Pope elevates 13 new cardinals – then puts them in their place

Pope Francis attends a consistory ceremony where 13 bishops were elevated to a cardinal’s rank in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020. (Fabio Frustaci/POOL via AP)

Pope Francis has raised 13 new cardinals to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy – and immediately warned them during a ceremony marked by the coronavirus pandemic not to use their titles for corrupt, personal gain.

Two new “princes” of the church, from Brunei and the Philippines, did not make it to Rome because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, and throughout a socially distanced ceremony, which clocked in at an unusually quick 45 minutes, cardinals new and old wore protective masks in a nearly empty St Peter’s Basilica.