Vatican: His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI created His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, the Major Archbishop of Trivandrum the new Cardinal of the Universal Church in the Consistory held on 24 November 2012. The new cardinal received his insignia from the Holy Father along with other five new Cardinals. Holy Father invested Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos the insignia of Mudithoppi, specially designed as per the tradition of the Syrian Rite and the Ring. The ceremony started at 11am (Indian Time3.30pm) and concluded after at 12 noon. His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis is the first Cardinal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and youngest of the universal Church.

High dignitaries of both religious and political witnessed the investure ceremony at Vatican. The official delegation of the Government of India, headed by Sri. P.J. Kurian, Honorable Deputy Speaker of Rajyasabha was present to greet the new cardinal on behalf of the nation. The delegation of the central government includes Honorable Minister K.C. Venugopal, Mr. E.T. Muhammad Bashir M.P., Mr. Jose K. Mani M.P., and Adv. Johnson Abraham. Representing the Trivandrum Corporation and the State-Capital, Prof. J. Chandrika, worshipful Mayor of Trivandrum and Mr. Palode Ravi MLA attended the function. Leaders of Islam and Hiduism were present at Vatican to witness the ceremony. Imam Jamaludee Mankha (Palayam, Trivandrum), Swami Guru Ratna Gnana Thapasi (Santhigiri Ashram, Pothencode), Swami Sooshmanandh (Sivagiri Madh, Varkala) His Excellency Ayoob Mar Silvanos (Jacobite Church) His Excellency Joseph Mar Thomas (Mar Thoma Church), and Bishop Dharmaraj Rassalam (Church of South India) were present to represent various communities. His Eminence Cardinal Alencherry, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church and His Grace Soosai Pakiam, Archbishop of Trivandrum were present along with the bishops of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church at Vatican. Many faithful of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church from all over the world reached Vatican to watch this historical event.

On 25 November the new Cardinals will join the Holy Father to offer Holy Qurbono at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. At evening, the entire delegation from the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church will join the Holy Qurbono celebrated by the New Cardinal to thank the Almighty for the blessings to the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church at St. Paul and John Basilica, Rome. On 26 November a special audience of the Holy Father with the Bishops, priests, religious and priests of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church along with H.B. Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos at Vatican.

The new Cardinal will return to India on 30 November 2012.

Vatican City, (VIS) – Given below are the names of the six new cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI in this morning’s consistory, and the titular or diaconate churches assigned to each:

– Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, title of San Gregorio VII.
– Cardinal James Michael Harvey, diaconate of San Pio V a Villa Carpegna.
– Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai O.M.M.
– Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, title of San Saturnino.
– Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, title of San Gerardo Maiella.
– Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, title of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle.

Pope Benedict XVI created six new Cardinals on Saturday in an Ordinary Public Consistory for the purpose here at the Vatican. The six new “Princes of the Church” are: Archbishop James M. Harvey, Prefect of the Papal Household; His Beatitude, Bechara Boutros Raï, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch in Lebanon; His Beatitude, Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum in India and head of the Syro-Malankara Church; Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria; Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogotá, Colombia; and Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila in the Philippines. The Cardinals are the “Clergy of Rome”. They are responsible for electing the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope: the Successor to St. Peter, and Vicar of Christ on Earth – the universal Pastor of the universal Church. Pope Benedict XVI took the universality of the Church as the theme of his allocution to the participants in the Consistory, focusing the meaning of the word, “Catholic” – “A word,” he said, “which indicates an essential feature of the Church and her mission.” Below, please find the full text of the Holy Father’s allocution.

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“I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

These words, which the new Cardinals are soon to proclaim in the course of their solemn profession of faith, come from the Niceno-Constantinopolitan creed, the synthesis of the Church’s faith that each of us receives at baptism. Only by professing and preserving this rule of truth intact can we be authentic disciples of the Lord. In this Consistory, I would like to reflect in particular on the meaning of the word “catholic”, a word which indicates an essential feature of the Church and her mission. Much could be said on this subject and various different approaches could be adopted: today I shall limit myself to one or two thoughts. The characteristic marks of the Church are in accordance with God’s plan, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: “it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church one, holy, catholic and apostolic, and it is he who calls her to realize each of these qualities” (no. 811). Specifically, what makes the Church catholic is the fact that Christ in his saving mission embraces all humanity. While during his earthly life Jesus’ mission was limited to the Jewish people, “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 15:24), from the beginning it was meant to bring the light of the Gospel to all peoples and lead all nations into the kingdom of God. When he saw the faith of the centurion at Capernaum, Jesus cried out: “I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 8:11). This universalist perspective can be seen, among other things, from the way Jesus applied to himself not only the title “Son of David”, but also “Son of Man” (Mk 10:33), as in the Gospel passage that we have just heard. The expression “Son of Man”, in the language of Jewish apocalyptic literature inspired by the vision of history found in the book of the prophet Daniel (cf. 7:13-14), calls to mind the figure who appears “with the clouds of heaven” (v. 13). This is an image that prophesies a completely new kingdom, sustained not by human powers, but by the true power that comes from God. Jesus takes up this rich and complex expression and refers it to himself in order to manifest the true character of his Messianism: a mission directed to the whole man and to every man, transcending all ethnic, national and religious particularities. And it is actually by following Jesus, by allowing oneself to be drawn into his humanity and hence into communion with God, that one enters this new kingdom proclaimed and anticipated by the Church, a kingdom that conquers fragmentation and dispersal.

Jesus sends his Church not to a single group, then, but to the whole human race, and thus he unites it, in faith, in one people, in order to save it. The Second Vatican Council expresses this succinctly in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium: “All men are called to belong to the new people of God. Therefore this people, while remaining one and unique, is to be spread throughout the whole world and through every age, so that the design of God’s will may be fulfilled” (no. 13). Hence the universality of the Church flows from the universality of God’s unique plan of salvation for the world. This universal character emerges clearly on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fills the first Christian community with his presence, so that the Gospel may spread to all nations, causing the one People of God to grow in all peoples. From its origins, then, the Church is oriented kat’holon, it embraces the whole universe. The Apostles bear witness to Christ, addressing people from all over the world, and each of their hearers understands them as if they were speaking his native language (cf. Acts 2:7-8). From that day, in the “power of the Holy Spirit”, according to Jesus’ promise, the Church proclaims the dead and risen Lord “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Church’s universal mission does not arise from below, but descends from above, from the Holy Spirit: from the beginning it seeks to express itself in every culture so as to form the one People of God. Rather than beginning as a local community that slowly grows and spreads outwards, it is like yeast oriented towards a universal horizon, towards the whole: universality is inscribed within it. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15); “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). With these words, Jesus sends the Apostles to all creation, so that God’s saving action may reach everywhere. But if we consider the moment of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, we see that the disciples are still closed in their thinking, looking to the restoration of a new Davidic kingdom. They ask the Lord: “will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). How does Jesus answer? He answers by broadening their horizons and giving them both a promise and a task: he promises that they will be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and he confers upon them the task of bearing witness to him all over the world, transcending the cultural and religious confines within which they were accustomed to think and live, so as to open themselves to the universal Kingdom of God. At the beginning of the Church’s journey, the Apostles and disciples set off without any human security, purely in the strength of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel and the faith. This is the yeast that spreads round the world, enters into different events and into a wide range of cultural and social contexts, while remaining a single Church. Around the Apostles, Christian communities spring up, but these are “the” Church which is always the same, one and universal, whether in Jerusalem, Antioch, or Rome. And when the Apostles speak of the Church, they are not referring to a community of their own, but to the Church of Christ, and they insist on the unique, universal and all-inclusive identity of the Catholica that is realized in every local church. The Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic, she reflects in herself the source of her life and her journey: the unity and communion of the Trinity.

Situated within the context and the perspective of the Church’s unity and universality is the College of Cardinals: it presents a variety of faces, because it expresses the face of the universal Church. In this Consistory, I want to highlight in particular the fact that the Church is the Church of all peoples, and so she speaks in the various cultures of the different continents. She is the Church of Pentecost: amid the polyphony of the various voices, she raises a single harmonious song to the living God. I cordially greet the official Delegations of the different countries, the bishops, priests, consecrated persons, and lay faithful of the various diocesan communities and all those who share in the joy of the new members of the College of Cardinals – their family, friends and co-workers. The new Cardinals, who represent different dioceses around the world, are henceforth associated by a special title with the Church of Rome, and in this way they reinforce the spiritual bonds that unite the whole Church, brought to life by Christ and gathered around the Successor of Peter. At the same time, today’s rite expresses the supreme value of fidelity. Indeed, the oath that you are about to take, venerable brothers, contains words filled with profound spiritual and ecclesial significance: “I promise and I swear, from now on and for as long as I live, to remain faithful to Christ and his Gospel, constantly obedient to the Holy Apostolic Roman Church”. And when you receive the red biretta, you will be reminded that it means “you must be ready to conduct yourselves with fortitude, even to the shedding of your blood, for the increase of the Christian faith, for the peace and well-being of the people of God”. Whereas the consignment of the ring is accompanied by the admonition: “Know that your love for the Church is strengthened by your love for the Prince of the Apostles”.

In these gestures and the words that accompany them, we see an indication of the identity that you assume today in the Church. From now on, you will be even more closely and intimately linked to the See of Peter: the titles and deaconries of the churches of Rome will remind you of the bond that joins you, as members by a very special title, to this Church of Rome, which presides in universal charity. Particularly through the work you do for the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, you will be my valued co-workers, first and foremost in my apostolic ministry for the fullness of catholicity, as Pastor of the whole flock of Christ and prime guarantor of its doctrine, discipline and morals. Dear friends, let us praise the Lord, who “with manifold gifts does not cease to enrich his Church spread throughout the world” (Oration), and reinvigorates her in the perennial youth that he has bestowed upon her. To him we entrust the new ecclesial service of these our esteemed and venerable Brothers, that they may bear courageous witness to Christ, with a lively growing faith and unceasing sacrificial love.

Source: Vatican Radio

Welcome to the ‘Eternal City’ for the Consistory and related celebrations of Cardinal Elect His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos.

We hope that this small guideline will help our pilgrims to make this spiritual journey to the ‘Eternal City’ a blessed experience. As it contains some basic information on the events, it is strongly recommended to keep a copy of these instructions when you arrive in Rome.

Schedule of the Events
Saturday, November 24,
11: 00 A.M., St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican.
Consistory of the Cardinals: Tickets are required and have been ordered for everyone (see below for details). Seating on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. The gates normally open at 8:00 A.M., for security check and they are easy to locate. Please keep this ticket to the Papal Mass on Sunday.

Saturday, November 24,
from 4.30 P.M. to 6.30 P.M. : Optional courtesy visit to the new Cardinals. The place of this event will be announced later.

Sunday, November 25,
9:30 A.M., St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican.
Papal Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, with the new Cardinals (Ticket required, come early for security check).
For details on entrance to St. Peter’s, please visit:
http://saintpetersbasilica.org/touristinfo.htm#special.

Sunday, November 25,
4:00 P.M. : Sts. John and Paul Basilica, Rome.
Mass celebrated by the new Cardinal with the entire delegation and special invitees.
(Arrive early for the traditional and liturgical reception. Priests: please bring vestments and Thaksa for Holy Qurbana. There will be a felicitation meeting in the Basilica after the Mass, followed by ‘agape’ in the Passionist Generalate, adjacent to the Basilica. See below for directions).

Monday, November 26,
11:00 A.M., Paul VI Audience Hall, Vatican.
A special audience will be held with the Holy Father for the delegation of the six new Cardinals.

SOME USEFUL INFORMATION
1. Arriving in Rome.
Rome’s Fumicino airport is 19 miles outside of the city. A train station is located inside the terminal and you can travel straight to Termini Station, (14 Euro per person, 6 Euro for Bus, 50 Euro or more for Taxi depending on the place of accommodation), Ostience Station (8 Euro).
From Ciampino airport there are Buses to Rome (6 Euro); there are trains from Ciampino Railway station to Termini station (1.50 euro). This railway-station can be reached only through bus or taxi.
Roma Termini is the main Train, Metro and Bus Station in Rome. For travelling in the Metro, Tram or Bus, a ticket is needed (1.50 Euro, valid for 100 minutes from first use, available in many shops especially at Tabacchi, besides ticket counters and machines). Make sure to validate the ticket at the beginning of the journey. On Saturday and Sunday, the frequency of public transportation is less compared to weekdays, especially at night. (Our transportation committee can help in arranging taxi or other means if contacted early.
For details: Fr. Varghese Mathew Kalayilvadakkethil (Transportation) vk0234 [at] gmail [dot] com. Phone: 0039-3202762034(M)).

2. Arriving at St. Peter’s.
Take Metro A from Termini to Ottaviano (7 minutes walk) or bus 40 (last stop 3 minutes walk) or bus 64 (Cavalleggeri 2 minutes walk). There are many other options but these are some of the most convenient ones.

3. Arriving at the place of your accommodation.
Train, Metro (A, B & B1), Bus, Tram, Taxi are some of the available means depending on where you stay. Find out the location and have all the details including the telephone number with you before arriving in Rome. Make advance arrangements for late night arrivals with the place of your stay if it is not a hotel.

4. Arriving at the Basilica of Sts. John and Paul.
The Basilica is located on the Celian Hill in Rome, opposite to the famous Palatine Hill between Circo Massimo and Colisseum
(Address: Piazza Ss. Giovanni e Paolo 13, 00184 Rome).
This Basilica and the Passionist Generalate (where we have the ‘agape’ after Mass) are of historical importance to the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church since our Servant of God Mar Ivanios stayed here during his Rome visit.

Some precautions:
1. Always be careful about your personal belongings and documents. Have a photocopy of your passport and other documents kept with you or with a friend and digitally available if needed (email to yourself).

2. Keep some important phone numbers, including that of your group leader and someone else in Rome. Some helpful phone numbers of the committee members are given with this guideline. Purchasing a SIM card from an Italian cell phone provider can offer significant cost savings as opposed to using your home cell phone. It requires presentation of proper identification, such as a valid passport.
For details: www.italycellphone.com.

3. For any program with the Holy Father, advance security checking and seating is required and earlier the better.

4. If you are staying in a religious house, please respect the rules of the house.

5. The weather might be cold for many pilgrims, especially those who come from India. The average temperature of these days (Nov. 24-28) are 16°C(61°F) – 10°C (50°F). It is also a mild rainy season.

6. Be prepared to walk since some places are not close to the main roads.

7. If you have time to visit the famous Churches or other tourist places and are not part of a group or have no one to direct you, it is better to use the ‘hop on hop off’ buses like Roma Christiana. No prior booking is needed.
http://www.romeguide.it/romacristiana/romacristiana.html.
For Vatican Museums it is better to book in advance to avoid the long lines.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Orari.html.
Please avoid making tour plans during our above-mentioned schedule of events.

8. The currency of Italy (and most of Europe) is the Euro. There are currency exchange places in many locations. The U.S. Dollar is also accepted in most
places. Look for better exchange rates.

9. Location and distance could be traced in advance online.

Collecting the ticket.
Tickets for the Papal events will be available to us only on November 23rd in the afternoon. Someone from the Invitation Committee will be present at St.
Peter’s Square in front of the Obelisk (tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument in front of St. Peter’s) from 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M., with some identifiable
signs. Each group leader will be able to collect the tickets for their group from there. It could also be collected from our Central Office from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00
P.M.,
(Address: Via Aurelia172/3, 00165, Roma. c/o Msgr. Johnson Kaimalayil
0039-066381899 (H) 0039-3276736392(M) email: jkaimala [at] hotmail [dot] com).
Please consult the Invitation Committee for further details in collecting the ticket.
Fr. Kuriakose Cherupuzhathottam (Invitation)
Phone:39-3288610647(M), 3208036976(M) kuriakosecherupuzha [at] gmail [dot] com.

Some Useful Phone Numbers
Fr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil, (General Information) malankaramathai [at] msn [dot] com

Phone: 0039-393 0968285(M)
Chev. Koshy Parapatt. Phone: 0039-3287508030(M)
Fr. Louis Charuvilaputhenveettil (Programe) Phone: 0039-3273882794 (M)
Fr. Justin Konnathuvila (Accommodation) Phone: 0039-3928823200 (M)
Fr. Thomas Meppurathu (Liturgy) Phone: 0039-3273023601(M)
Fr. Sam Vengattoor (Food) Phone: 0039-3891940246(M)
Fr. Cyril Anand OIC (Choir) Phone: 0039-3207656706(M)
Fr. Cibu Iribinikal (Communication) Phone: 0039-3392366264(M)
Fr. Mathew Jacob Thiruvalil OIC (Finance) Phone: 0039-320 777 3575(M)
Fr. Paul Kodannur (Reception) Phone: 0039-3203460217(M)
Fr. Bernard Nadutherivila (Procession and Service Team)
Phone: 0039- 3899399655(M)
Fr. Anoop Panthirayithadathil (In Charge of Bishops)
Phone: 0039- 3312488864(M)

Prepared by the Celebration Committee, Date: 16th November 2012.

His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos reached Vatican on 19 November 2012 for the Investiture Ceremony. He prayed at the tombs of his predecessors Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios, Archbishops Benedict Mar Gregorios and Cyril Mar Baselios Catholicos and beseeched their intercession, before his departure and also prayed at the tomb of Bishop Benziger who received Archbishop Mar Ivanios to the Catholic Church. He visited his Spiritual Father, Rev. Fr. Bernadeen at Carmel Hill Monastery, Thiruvananthapuram to receive his blessings.

His Beatitude was accorded a grand reception in Rome under the leadership of World Pravasi Organisation. Many Priests, Religious and Faithful came to felicitate him. He urged them to pray for him. He said that he would pray for the blessings of our nation in the liturgical services in Vatican.

Delegates and representatives from India and abroad will reach Rome on 22 and 23 November. The Investiture Ceremony will be on 24 November at 11 a.m. His Beatitude will receive the insignia of the Cardinal from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Pilgrims can meet the new Cardinal at 4.30 p.m. The new Cardinals will concelebrate the Holy Mass with His Holiness on 25 November at 10 a.m at St. Peter’s Baslica. His Beatitude will celebrate the Holy Qurbono for the Syro-Malanakara Catholic Delegation in St. Paul and St. John Basilica in Rome at 4.00 p.m