Among the 12,000 jubilant faithful who attended in St. Peter's Square, the solemn ceremony, several hundred were Salesians, members of the Salesian Family or sympathizers with Don Bosco and his charisma - and they did not fail to express it whenever the Pope pronounced the name Ángel Fernández Artime, always accompanying it with a profusion of applause and exclamations.
There were also many personalities who accompanied the Rector Major more closely. Among them, for example, his "colleague" Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat, who commented as follows: "Celebrating a Consistory in which the Holy Father creates a Salesian Cardinal is always a reason for joy in the Congregation, because it responds to our charism of being at the service of the Church and the Kingdom of God through what the Holy Father asks of us. It is also a way of expressing our availability to serve the Church and our love for the Pope. This is why today, the day of the creation as Cardinal of the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, is a day of joy and glory for the Congregation. I believe that Don Bosco from Heaven will be happy that many of his sons, through the episcopate and the College of Cardinals, are faithful to his way of life".
He was echoed by Uruguayan Card. Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, Archbishop of Montevideo, for whom "the creation of Fr Ángel Fernández Artime as a Cardinal is a great joy for the whole Church, but also for the whole Salesian Family, because it is a totally extraordinary fact. It is a gift of Pope Francis to the Church, but also a gift to the Congregation and to the Salesian Family for what the Rector Major means, as the Successor of Don Bosco: it is a fact that speaks of love: of the Pope's love for Don Bosco and his Family, and of the Salesian Family towards the Church".
For his part, the Apostolic Prefect of Azerbaijan, Bishop Vladimír Fekete, SDB, emphasized the "prophetic" dimension of this choice by Pope Francis: "I am very grateful to the Lord for this great day for the Salesian Family and for the entire Catholic Church. Salesians are known as missionaries of the young, and I am sure that Pope Francis' choice to create Rector Major Cardinal is not only an appreciation for what we are doing for the education and accompaniment of the young and for the service of the Church, but it is also a prophecy. I am sure that this creation as Cardinal of the Rector Major can be a new challenge and a new impetus to bring the Salesian charism even more to the world of youth. I hope and pray that the creation of the Rector Major as Cardinal can open a new frontier, a new door to bring the Salesian charism into the education of young people".
Being a feast of the whole Congregation, many Salesian Provincials came from all over the world. Among them, Fr Giovanni d'Andrea, Superior of the Sicilian Province (ISI), said: "It is an important day for the whole Congregation and the Salesian Family, because a Rector Major created Cardinal is an acknowledgement from the Pope to all of us. Of course, it upsets the whole organization, because the General Chapter, and consequently all the Provincial Chapters, are brought forward, but it is a great joy and a great honour, and we all remain very humble".
"This choice by the Pope means that the Church has confidence in Don Bosco's charism, that our charism is relevant to the Church, for which the choice is made, and today even more so, to promote the education and evangelization of young people. We as Salesians must follow the example of Don Bosco, who was always willing to obey the pastors of the Church. I am certain that Fr Ángel has been chosen by the Lord and will serve the Church well, as a Salesian of Don Bosco," added Fr Pierre Célestin Ngoboka, Superior of the Africa Great Lakes Visitation (AGL), with full conviction.
The voices of the Congregation were also joined by those of the entire Salesian Family. The Vicar of the Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sister María del Rosario García Ribas, declared: "It is a beautiful day for the whole Salesian Family, because with the creation of Fr Ángel as a cardinal we are experiencing together an acknowledgement of the Church and the Pope. As Daughters of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello, we are truly happy for this moment of family and celebration and we are also here to reaffirm that we will also support him with our prayers".
Speaking on behalf of all the Past Pupils of Don Bosco of the World, Bryan Magro, the President of the World Confederation, said: "It is wonderful to be able to stand beside our beloved Rector Major today on the day he becomes a Cardinal. It is a historic moment and we wish him all the best in his service to the Church and the world in the years to come. As Past Pupils of Don Bosco, we wish Fr Ángel our best wishes!".
Lastly, two exceptional personalities who could not be absent on a day expressed their feelings to ANS: Rocío Fernández Artime, sister of the new Cardinal, and Rector Major Emeritus, Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva.
"Ángel is very calm, aware that this is a new stage in his life and he takes it on in a spirit of service. He also trusts in the accompaniment of the Lord. He has also manifested this in the motto he has chosen, in which he expresses all his trust in Providence: Sufficit tibi gratia mea. That is why he is calm, and has surrendered everything to the will of God' was the assurance of doña Rocío.
"It is a historic day for the Congregation and the Salesian Family, it is the first time that a Rector Major, who is also in office, is created cardinal. It is also a moment to become aware of being more and more Church. The fact that he is increasingly at the service of the Holy Father expresses exactly this. And we, for our part, accompany him with our prayers,' Fr Chávez concluded.
