Vatican City, Jun 28, 2018 / 08:50 am
At a ceremony for the creation of 14 cardinals Thursday, Pope Francis said the best promotion a person can receive is to serve the person of Christ as seen in the least of his people.
"This is the highest honor that we can receive, the greatest promotion that can be awarded us: to serve Christ in God's faithful people," the pope said at an ordinary consistory in St. Peter's Basilica June 28.
Speaking to the new and to the existing cardinals, he said credible authority stems from "sitting at the feet of others," serving those "who are hungry, neglected, imprisoned, sick, suffering, addicted to drugs, cast aside... real people, each with his or her own life story and experiences, hopes and disappointments, hurts and wounds."
"None of us must feel 'superior' to anyone," he continued. "None of us should look down at others from above. The only time we can look at a person in this way is when we are helping them to stand up."