Slovenian Archbishop Franc Rode was elevated to cardinal at a ceremony in St. Peter's Square on Friday, 24 March, in which Pope Benedict XVI formally installed 15 new "princes of the church." The new cardinals were elevated at a consistory, in which newly-appointed cardinals receive the typical crimson robes and red hats symbolising their willingness to shed their blood for the Church.
Rode, who turns 72 in September, is the third cardinal of Slovenian descent; the first was Gorica Archbishop Jakob Missia in 1899, followed by Toronto Archbishop Alojzij Ambrozic in 1998. He has been the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life since the spring of 2004.
Rode said that the appointment was a demonstration of the Pope's liking for the Catholic Church in Slovenia and the Slovenian people. This is a recognition for Slovenia as a whole, Rode's office said in a statement. "By elevating me to cardinal, the Pope has given me recognition for the seven-year term I served in the Ljubljana Archdiocese and for my work as prefect in the Vatican," Rode wrote in his statement.
Prime Minister Janez Jansa also hailed the appointment, saying that this was both a recognition and an opportunity for Slovenia. "It is an opportunity for Slovenia to promote certain interests through a man of Slovenian origin placed in a hierarchy of a very important institution," Jansa added.
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