Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, still smiling after receiving the red hat that made him a cardinal Friday, is wrapping up his trip to Rome with a series of celebrations. This morning he and the 14 other new cardinals will greet well-wishers at an audience hosted by Pope Benedict XVI in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican; at midday O'Malley is to lunch with a group of pilgrims from Fall River, and in the evening he will say Mass for and have dinner with his fellow Capuchin friars.

He returns to Boston tomorrow (Tuesday), facing a number of serious ongoing challenges, but with some plans to address them. He is anticipating significant staff changes -- the replacement of some of his auxiliary bishops -- that could come any day now. He has promised full disclosure of the archdiocese's finances, and expects to make that presentation, along with a proposed reorganization to balance the budget, in mid-April. He has scheduled three Masses to thank those who have wished him well on his elevation. And the week of April 9 to 16, Holy Week on the Christian calendar, he will preside at liturgies commemorating the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.

His spirits seem high, but he says he is aware that the last week was just a brief respite from the challenges at home, which include lawsuits and protests over clergy abuse and parish closings, a shortage of funds, a dwindling priesthood, and a large number of baptized Catholics who are alienated from the hierarchy and/or the Catholic church itself because of the crisis, the controversies, and disagreements about the church's teachings on the roles of women and gays. As O'Malley opened a Mass yesterday (Sunday) at the North American College here, he joked, "When we were processing into the consistory, I saw all the flowers and thought, 'It's just like an Irish wake. Everybody shows up and says nice things about you, even though it's not true'.''

I talked with him briefly Sunday afternoon, just after he said Mass and posed for photographs with visiting Knights and Dames of Malta, Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre, friends, and relatives. Here's a portion of our conversation:

Q. What's on your plate when you get home?
A. The first order of business will be getting ready for Holy Week. We also have visits to the regions. And shortly after Holy Week we will have the transparency report for the diocese, and some of the plans for fiscal recovery and reorganization will be presented at that time. That's the immediate agenda.

Q. How do you go about translating the goodwill from this week into something more lasting?
A. I'm not sure about that. I'm hoping that what's being done with the schools, and reorganization and so forth, will help Catholics to have a sense of recovery. I think the work on schools, if it's significant, is going to make a real difference in Catholic education in the long run.

Q. Your spirits seem very high this week.
A. Being here in Rome, and being among members of my family and friends, it's a joyful occasion...a very happy occasion.

Q. You go back, knowing that the challenges of the diocese don't go away just because of this week.
A. They certainly won't, but I'm hoping that people will have a greater sense of hope, and a realization of our connectedness with the larger church. I think that in the midst of our crisis, the death of Pope John Paul II was a pause, a time when people reconnected, and I think this consistory is also a moment when people become reconnected with the bulk of the church throughout the world. Those experiences are spiritually uplifting for us, and energizing.

(Cardinal O'Malley at Communion Sunday with his stepmother, Claire, and his sister, Mary.)
(Photos by David Ryan.)

As for your faithful blogger (me!), I'm heading back to Boston today, and at least until I can get back into the newsroom, this blog will be on hiatus.

The blog has been an experiment, for me and for the Globe, and we're going to talk about whether it would make sense to have something like this be part of our ongoing coverage of religion.

I've heard from many of you over the last week, and am grateful for the feedback. Some of you have loved the style and the content, others have been unhappy with various elements of the report, or broadly with its focus on a ceremonial event. As we mull over what to do next, I'd welcome hearing from more of you -- send me your thoughts, suggestions, advice or requests, and, of course, your tips and story ideas. My e-mail, as always, is mpaulson@globe.com.

Ciao.

I have to admit, Cardinal O'Malley's new titular church, Santa Maria della Vittoria, is a blogger's dream.

First of all, it's directly, and I mean directly, across the street from Santa Susanna, the church that belonged to the last three cardinal-archbishops of Boston, but that O'Malley can't have because it now belongs to Cardinal Bernard F. Law for life.

Second of all, it's featured prominently in Dan Brown's bestselling novel, "Angels and Demons,'' and is a popular spot on the "Angels and Demons" theme-tours that now show tourists Roman sites mentioned in the book.

Let me stipulate up front: the church is completely lovely. It was closed when photographer David Ryan and I stopped by yesterday at midday, but the cheerful rector, Rev. Stefano Guernelli, was kind enough to let us in anyway. The church is more like a chapel, with pews that might be able to seat 100 worshipers, and every surface is covered in baroque painting and sculpture. The most famous object, and the one that intrigued Dan Brown because it is often viewed as sexually charged, is Bernini's sculpture of St. Theresa of Avila in Ecstasy.

The church is overseen by Discalced Carmelite friars -- who, given their sudden Boston connection, proudly pointed out that there are at least four houses of Carmelites in the Boston archdiocese. A few of the enterprising friars took it upon themselves to just show up at the apostolic palace on Friday so they could introduce themselves to O'Malley and give him a guidebook to the church; on Saturday the cardinal repaid the favor, stopping by to visit a few hours after we were there.

"The friars were very, very friendly, and I was very moved by the fact that young St. Theresa (of Lisieux) had actually gone to that church and prayed there,'' he said, referring to Theresa of Lisieux, a 19th Century Carmelite nun who is now a popular saint often called the Little Flower. "Of course, the baroque statues and paintings are magnificent. They have a nice shrine to St. Francis there too.''

I asked O'Malley whether he had read "Angels and Demons," or Brown's even bigger bestseller, "The Da Vinci Code.'' To my surprise, the cardinal has read both novels -- he says they were sent to him by his sister. He said the plots are "outrageous," in terms of their fictionalizing of Christian history, and the endings poor -- "I wouldn't give them an A as literature,'' he said, but he was obviously intrigued to know what all the fuss was about. (The U.S. bishops' conference has actually posted a web site debunking "The Da Vinci Code,'' in anticipation of the May 19 release of the film.)

I then asked the cardinal what he made of the "Angels and Demons" connection to his new church, and this was his response:

"I think it's silly,'' he said. "But if it brings people to see the church, hopefully, being in a holy place, and in a place that is beautiful, hopefully it will be a religious experience for them. For us as Catholics, we believe that the beauty of the church, and the church music, is a way of lifting our minds to God's beauty.''

(I have not actually read "Angels and Demons" -- "The Da Vinci Code" was enough for me -- but in my effort to be a responsible beat reporter, today I swung by la Feltrinelli, an Italian bookstore with an English-language section, to pick up a copy, and I plan to read it on the flight back to Boston.)

At some point, O'Malley will have to return to Rome to formally take possession of the church, as the ritual is known, and then he will be responsible for protecting its finances and spiritual life in some way, although not for overseeing it on a day-to-day basis. He said he doesn't know when the possession-taking will be, but that it might be September, or the next time he needs to be back in town. The ceremony is usually accompanied by pomp and parties; it's not clear how O'Malley, who isn't much for that sort of thing, might modify that tradition.

(Rev. Stefano Guernelli in the sanctuary.)

Have you seen the Globe today?
Overview: Pope sees expanded role for cardinals
Sidebar: O'Malley's newest ring depicts crucifixion
Sidebar: Masses scheduled
Graphics, photos and more: Boston.com coverage

Also, in today's Worcester Telegram, an op-ed piece about O'Malley's elevation by David J. O'Brien, a professor of Catholic studies at the College of the Holy Cross

The news is out: the new leadership at the embattled Our Lady Help of Christians parish in Newton will be a team ministry (I didn't think they did those anymore?) between the Rev. John E. Sassani and the Rev. Joseph Keil, starting April 18.

I first broke the news of Sassani's assignment Thursday on this blog; he is the administrator at St. Theresa Church in Sherborn, director of the office of spiritual development at the archdiocese, and had served as a liaison between the protesters occupying St. Anselm Church in Sudbury and the archdiocese. Sassani had previously lived and worked at both Our Lady's and a parish it had absorbed, St. Jean's. I met him very early during my time on this beat, and found him to be thoughtful and clear-spoken and warm; obviously, the situation in Newton is a very tough assignment.

Keil, ordained in 2001, is a less familiar face, at least to me. He is currently serving in his first assignment, as the parochial vicar at St. Agatha Church in Milton, and that church announces his new posting in the bulletin this weekend.

The team will attempt to end a period of extraordinary turmoil at the Newton parish, which had been one of the largest and most vibrant in the archdiocese until the archdiocese demanded the resignation of the 12-year pastor, the Rev. Walter H. Cuenin, over disputed allegations of financial wrongdoing. Cuenin is now the Catholic chaplain at Brandeis University; his friend and parochial vicar, the Rev. Paul Kilroy, is being transferred to St. Joseph Church in Medford effective April 5 (See the St. Joseph's bulletin for that development). Cuenin had been succeeded by the Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, but the baggage of Coyne's time as archdiocesan spokesman during the abuse crisis, and the unhappiness at the parish over Cuenin's ouster, caused Coyne to resign after just four months. Coyne said in this weekend's bulletin that he will stay at Our Lady's until April 24 to help with the transition, and that he is awaiting his next assignment.

I'm sure Cardinal O'Malley never thought it would come to this.

At 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, just a day after he became a cardinal, he found himself standing in a lovely Roman courtyard, surrounded by serious journalists from Boston, showing off a ring.

The ring, of course, was the news of the day -- this was the day the 15 new cardinals were given gold bands by Pope Benedict XVI to symbolize their bond with the papacy.

And, seeking to keep you informed, dear readers, we insisted on seeing the goods.

O'Malley clearly thought the scene was a bit ridiculous, but, in keeping with his new openness, he cheerfullly held it out, up, took it off, put it on, explained its history, its imagery, how it felt, how it fit, and so on.

Turns out that these rings are sort of designed by the pope, in the sense that the pope gets to choose the image on the outside, which in this case is a modern depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, with Mary and John at his sides. The ring also includes the papal seal on the inside.

O'Malley said he was not asked his ring size in advance, but that the ring was open in the back, and could be resized at home. That was a bit of a relief, he said, recalling the time he took off a bishops' ring during Mass to wash his hands, gave it to a seminarian, and the seminarian decided to see what it felt like to wear a bishop's ring, and the ring got stuck on the seminarian's finger!

Anyways, here's the detail, thanks to photographer David Ryan:

The setting for the ring-showing, by the way, was the leafy courtyard of the Casa Santa Maria, a residence in Rome for about 70 American priests studying here. O'Malley, in the most remarkable display yet of the degree to which he has been persuaded that he has to improve his relations with the news media, hosted a reception for Boston-based journalists, with tea sandwiches and drinks and, for every reporter, a rosary.

The cardinal fielded questions for a bit about the ring, and then stayed for about an hour, just chatting informally with reporters about the events of the week, Rome, Boston, and so on. He was funny and charming and seemed reasonably at ease; I even had a conversation with him about Dan Brown, but I have to save something for you for tomorrow, now don't I?

By the way, as you can sort of see in the first photo, the habit is back. O'Malley, having already had enough of the red robes, showed up in his brown hooded Capuchin habit, with knotted white rope belt, dangling rosary, sandals and dark socks. Aside from the ring, the only sign of his new status was atop his head, where he wore the scarlet zucchetto of a prince of the church.

Globe photographer David Ryan got some nice shots of this morning's Mass of the Rings

Here is one of Cardinal O'Malley, up front, and Pope Benedict XVI, in the back, processing through St. Peter's Square at the start of the Mass. The guy with the plume is a Swiss Guard.

And here's a shot, from the roof of the colonnade, that shows rows of bishops, in purple, cardinals, in red, the new cardinals, in white, and then, on the throne at the facade of the basilica, the pope.

Pope Benedict at prayer

and Pope Benedict giving Communion to Cardinal O'Malley's sister, Mary Alexsovich

I've integrated other photos David shot throughout the items below, so even if you've already read them, you might want to scan again for pictures.

Terry Donilon, the cardinal's spokesman, just e-mailed me the schedule of Cardinal O'Malley's first Masses upon his return to Boston. They're to be held around the region to give the cardinal a chance to greet people from different areas of the archdiocese (which covers 144 towns in Eastern Massachusetts); O'Malley says he will talk a bit about his experiences here in Rome in an effort to share it with people who couldn't be here. O'Malley is not much for parties, but the archdiocese is planning a "light reception" after each Mass.

Here's the schedule:

Saturday, April 1
St. Theresa of Avila, West Roxbury
5:30 PM

Sunday, April 9 (Palm Sunday)
St. Catherine of Siena, Norwood
10 AM

Sunday, April 16 (Easter Sunday)
St. Mary of the Assumption, Lawrence
12 noon - Spanish language Mass

Atop the Bernini colonnade this a.m., I ran into the Rev. Robert Reed, the director of Boston Catholic Television, which has been providing heavy coverage of the week's events.

Reed told me that there are about 20 Boston priests in town for the consistory, and a group of them went out last night in Trastevere to talk about how things are going in Boston and the church. He said they had an animated discussion, felt cheered by the positive energy being communicated by Cardinal O'Malley, and rued not having more talks among priests back in the diocese.

"It seems like maybe finally we're going to get our act together,'' he said. "Things have been hard, but the archbishop seems very upbeat, and things are really looking up here.''

Reed and I tried to come up with a list of local priests we've seen in town; we couldn't come up with a complete roster, but here's a partial tally: the Rev. Brian Bachand, who is the cardinal's secretary; Rev. David J. Barnes, pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Beverly; Auxiliary Bishop John P. Boles, Rev. Robert E. Casey, the pastor of Gate of Heaven in South Boston; Rev. John J. Connolly, rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross; Rev. James R. Flavin, pastor of St. Edith Stein in Brockton; Monsignor William M. Helmick, pastor of St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury, and his brother, Rev. Raymond Helmick, a professor of theology at Boston College; Rev. Daniel Hennessey, vocations director; Rev. Brian Kiely, pastor of St. Patrick in Natick; Rev. Jason Makos, who is studying here at the North American College; Rev. Michael Medas, of the deaf apostolate; Rev. Paul B. O'Brien, pastor of St. Patrick in Lawrence; Rev. Kevin J. O'Leary, pastor of St. Peter in Cambridge; Rev. Robert Reed, director of Boston Catholic Television; Rev. John J. Ronaghan, pastor of St. Ann in Wollaston; and Monsignor Dennis F. Sheehan, pastor of St. Paul in Cambridge.

Have You Seen the Globe Today?
Overview: Coverage of the consistory
Sidebar: A look at Cardinal O'Malley's titular parish
Graphics, archives, and more: Boston.com complete coverage

Links to other MSM (mainstream media) coverage
Associated Press
Los Angeles Times

A walk around the blogosphere
Whispers in the Loggia
American Papist

And for the original documents and pictures
The Vatican

Of all the things that strike me as remarkable about Masses in St. Peter's Square, and there are many, the first is the incredibly efficient choreography for the distribution of Communion. At the key moment, dozens, hundreds, or thousands of priests (no sign of a shortage here...) emerge from the side of the basilica and head out into the piazza. The worshipers are seated in blocks, set apart from one another by white curtains, and the priests, obviously following some elaborate plan, move quietly down and through the piazza, and on occasion up onto the rooftops, to distribute the consecrated wafers to each part of the crowd. From the roof, where I sit, you can see all these guys in white moving through the crowd, somehow managing to reach everyone in a relatively modest period of time. It's impressive, simply as an organizational feat.

The Mass has now ended; it lasted about two hours, and organ music is ringing across the piazza as the cardinals, bishops, and dignitaries head into St. Peter's and the crowd heads into the streets of Rome. I'm told that the pope will now host a lunch for all the cardinals at the entrance to the Audience Hall, which is in Vatican City sort of across a street from the basilica.

I expect next to see Cardinal O'Malley, and to check out the ring, this afternoon, when he's holding a reception for the news media. More later.

Good morning, insomniacs. I'm blogging to you, once again, from the roof of the Bernini colonnade that encircles St. Peter's Square. Today, on the Catholic calendar, is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, and just below me Pope Benedict XVI is saying the Mass of the Rings, which is being concelebrated by the 15 new cardinals, including Archbishop O'Malley of Boston.

Today dawned sunny, at last (this is the first day I've had to wear a hat since I've been here), but it is now clouding over again. There are some tens of thousands of people in the piazza, considerably more than yesterday, many of them groups of well-wishers from the dioceses whose bishops became cardinals yesterday. Some are holding congratulatory banners aloft.

Most of the cardinals here are dressed in their familiar red robes, but the new cardinals are in white and gold vestments because they are saying the Mass with the pope. They were seated in two special rows of chairs, just below and on either side of the pope. Right now they are standing around the altar, consecrating the Eucharist, with the pope, in Latin.

A few minutes ago, each new cardinal, one at a time, approached the pope, who was seated in a white throne under a tapestry at the base of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica. As they knelt before him, he gave them each a cardinals' ring, which is supposed to be "the sign of dignity, pastoral care, and the most solid communion with the See of Peter,'' according to the Vatican. At the end, they bowed together toward the pope.

Cardinal O'Malley met with Boston reporters this afternoon at the North American College, all decked out in his new red robes.

He said he'd rather be wearing his brown habit, which he called, "my uniform,'' but proudly showed his red socks to reporters, saying, "at least nobody can doubt my sports affiliation now.'' He was less eager to show off the biretta, which his secretary held until I asked the cardinal to display it; then he held it gingerly and for the most part so low it could barely be seen above the microphones.

The archbishop was alternately thrilled and cautious; he said he was "excited" about the day, but demurred at the suggestion that yesterday was the "most momentous" day of his life.

"Well, I like to think that there’s many momentous occasions in a person’s life,'' he said. "Certainly, for me, my religious profession, my ordination as a priest, I think were the most important things. And these other things are great honors, and perhaps much showier, but personally, for myself, the day of my vows, the day of my ordination, were the most important days of my life and will always be."

I asked him how he would put into practice in Boston the pope's homily, urging the new cardinals to "spread far and wide" what the pope called "the principle of love.''

This is how O'Malley responded: "I think (by) trying to help people to understand that love is the very essence of our religion, and that at times the demands of the faith are difficult, but it’s Christ’s love that makes it possible for us.''

John L. Allen Jr., the highly regarded Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, is moving to the Big Apple in July.

John, who announced the move today in his widely circulated weekly e-mail, The Word from Rome, plans to write more about the Catholic church in the U.S. and worldwide, and will retain the title of Rome correspondent, travelling to the Vatican as needed. He is moving, he says, for a better vantage point on the global church, and to more easily accept the many speaking invitations he receives.

John is an astonishingly prolific author and articulate commentator whose combination of knowledge and insight about a secretive institution -- the Vatican -- has made him much in demand on the speaking circuit and in the media. He is also a master of timing; his most recent book, "Opus Dei,'' takes a look at the controversial Catholic organization on the eve of the release of the film version of "The Da Vinci Code;" his book "Conclave" proved essential reading for those interested in what happened after the death of John Paul II; and the Vatican official he chose to write a biography about, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, wound up getting elected pope.

Chad Capellman at Boston.com has now put together a gallery of some of the photos David Ryan shot at the consistory this morning. Enjoy! I've now posted other photos David shot throughout the blog below, so take a look even if you've already read the words.

Here is his shot of the key moment:

I just got back from the pope's house. Nice place, I must say. That's where receptions were held for Cardinal O'Malley and the other 14 new cardinals.

It was a bit of a madhouse, as a lot of big events at the Vatican are. Throngs of people packed into narrow stairwells, all yammering in a zillion different languages at tight-lipped Swiss Guards about why their status/job/needs/whatever should entitle them to get in to the apostolic palace.

Happily, I was with the hyperaggressive and hypertalented Globe photographer David Ryan (whose work illustrates this post and this blog), and by hanging on to his photo strap I managed to get to the front of a crowd of thousands and made it, practically first, into the Sala Regia, a fantastically over-the-top baroque hall with a vaulted ceiling and ornate decoration that defies description. That's where the two new American cardinals, O'Malley and Levada, were holding court.

Cardinal O'Malley, still beaming, showed up at just after 4:30, wearing the new scarlet (red) cassock, a scarlet sash, and a pectoral cross, with the scarlet zucchetto on his head and the biretta in his hands. He was also wearing black shoes and red socks (what would Mr. Blackwell say?), and when he entered (it was raining outside), a sweeping black cape.

Immediately, a line began to form of well-wishers. I asked the first guy in line what he was doing there -- he turned out to be Professor Bruno M. Damiani of the Catholic University of America, who directed Sean O'Malley's doctoral dissertation decades ago. "I'm not surprised he's here,'' Damiani said. "He was always an extraordinary gentleman.''

The line was made up of folks from O'Malley's previous dioceses, in the Virgin Islands, Fall River and Palm Beach, as well as all kinds of people who just wanted to congratulate a new cardinal.

And there was a smattering of the pre-existing cardinals, including Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York (below) who came up to embrace O'Malley -- needless to say, they did not have to wait in line.

O'Malley arrived at the palace from the North American College, which hosted a lunch for 1,000 in honor of O'Malley and Levada. The lunch was scheduled to be outdoors, but had to be moved inside because of rain. The menu, because it's a Friday in Lent, was meat-free; I wasn't invited but I'm told it included some sort of cheese omelet, penne al salmone (pasta with salmon), buttered carrots, and an assortment of Italian (obviously) pastries. O'Malley didn't eat; he stood outside, under a little tent, and shook hands. He did seem in good spirits, especially when he saw the Knights of Malta with red baseball caps -- he said to one "You have red hats too!"

As I was leaving the consistory, walking across St. Peter's Square, I stumbled across a dozen Capuchin friars. (OK, truth be told, I chased them down -- I spotted the telltale brown habits with the pointy hoods across the piazza and cut them off as they approached an exit through the police barriers.)

They tell me that about 20 American friars, including the provincials (that's the top guys) from New York and Pennsylvania came to Rome to watch their fellow Capuchin, Archbishop O'Malley, become a cardinal. O'Malley is only the tenth Capuchin in history to become a cardinal, and the first in nearly 50 years. It's a bit of an odd combination, a Capuchin cardinal, because of the grandeur of cardinals and the humility of Capuchins.

I spoke with the Rev. Paul Kuppe, who is pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in West Philadelphia, and who was a classmate of O'Malley.

"For me, personally, this is incredible,'' Kuppe said. "I went to school with Sean, and to see him a cardinal in the church is kind of awesome. And for Capuchins, it's a great honor and a blessing.''

Kuppe acknowledged the unusualness of a Capuchin cardinal, saying "Capuchins do not seek to have appointments in the church. Saint Francis wanted us to be minors. But to have the Holy Father recognize Sean's acomplishments with this honor is quite incredible.''

Kuppe said the Capuchins will get to spend some time with O'Malley Monday night, when the new cardinal is scheduled to celebrate Mass for them at a Capuchin seminary in Rome.

There are a couple stories in today's Globe that you might find of interest.

I wrote a piece about the significance of Gov. Mitt Romney's decision to attend the consistory; he was here this morning, in the back row of a section for dignitaries, watching intently.

And my colleague Charlie Radin in Boston has a story about a request by the Council of Parishes that Cardinal O'Malley, upon his return to Boston, turn his attention to their concerns about six parishes that have closed but are occupied by protesters, and a handful of other parishes that face possible closing.

Here's a photo of Gov. Romney at this morning's ceremony, shot by David Ryan:

Each of the 15 new cardinals gave a kiss of peace to each of the 178 previously existing cardinals (actually, I'm not sure the full group made it here today, but most of them are here) and then they assumed new cushy white chairs, befitting cardinals, up on the same level as the other cardinals and the pope.

The consistory ended with the prayer of the faithful, the recitation of the Our Father, the final blessing, and the customary milling about.

Cardinal O'Malley now heads up to the North American College for a lunch where he and Cardinal Levada will be honored; among the attendees will be Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Then the new cardinal is meeting with the Boston media to show us the hat (hey! we need pix!) and then back to the apostolic palace for a reception.

Ciao until later.

Globe Staff Photo / David Ryan

Rocco Palmo, the crazed genius Vaticanista (can you be a Vaticanista in Pennsylvania?) behind Whispers in the Loggia, e-mails from Philadelphia to say: "When each of the cardinals approached the Pope to receive their birettas, they were simply assigned ("tibi commitimus titulum...") their titular churches -- the Roman parishes over which they'll serve as honorary protectors (and financial ones, in the real sense). O'Malley was given S. Maria di Vittoria -- Our Lady of Victory."

Boston now has a cardinal-archbishop again!

Sean Patrick O'Malley, the 61-year-old Capuchin Franciscan friar handpicked by Pope John Paul II in 2003 to repair the crisis-wracked Archdiocese of Boston, has just been given the red biretta that makes him a prince of the church.

A bareheaded, red-robed O'Malley (the ninth of the 15 cardinals-designate) walked silently and alone up the steps to kneel at the feet of the Pope Benedict XVI, who was seated in a throne under a red canopy.

The pope placed the biretta on his head, spoke in Latin of the need for O'Malley to be willing to spill blood for the church (the same message he said to each new cardinal), and then blessed him and gave him a kiss of peace.

O'Malley, adjusting the biretta, returned to his seat as the crowd applauded.

O'Malley is the fifth cardinal-archbishop of Boston.