When Pope Francis announced on Oct. 25, 2020 that there would be a Consistory of cardinals in Rome on Nov. 28, and that our Archbishop Wilton Gregory was to be among those elevated to the College of Cardinals, I knew that this year’s Consistory would be a historic moment. He is the first African American member of the College of Cardinals, making this a very important moment not only for the Archdiocese of Washington but also for the Catholic Church in the United States. Normally a pilgrimage group of family, friends, and well-wishers accompanies each of the new cardinals.
Yet as this year’s Consistory was happening during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was to be a much smaller event. I was the only person who accompanied now-Cardinal Gregory from Washington, and we were invited to stay at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, or the House of St. Martha, a large residence in the Vatican where Pope Francis lives, along with a number of other workers at the Vatican and visitors there.
We were tested for COVID before we left Washington, again when we arrived in Rome, and again after a 10-day period of mandatory quarantine when we could not leave our rooms with one exception – the Holy Father invited Cardinal Gregory to have lunch with him on Thanksgiving Day! Otherwise, meals were brought to our rooms, and our other needs were cared for by the staff at the residence. The time passed surprisingly quickly, as we maintained correspondence with co-workers and loved ones and were able to take time for prayer and rest.
On the morning of the Consistory, after 10 days of isolation and testing negative again for COVID, we were permitted to leave our rooms. The new cardinals were only given 10 tickets for each ceremony, which Cardinal Gregory had distributed to the Washington priests and seminarians already living in Rome. Social distancing and masking precautions were required of all attendees.
Despite the challenges, I had a great sense of joy and pride in being able to accompany Cardinal Gregory to Rome as his priest-secretary. Before the Consistory, we prayed quietly with the other new cardinals before the remains of St. Josaphat, a bishop who was martyred in the 17th century as he sought to bring unity to the Church. Cardinals wear red as a sign that they are willing to shed their blood for the Church, so it was a profound and blessed moment.
I accompanied His Eminence in the procession that began the ceremony and sat behind him as he received the symbols of his new office from the Holy Father. They include his red biretta and zucchetto as well as his new cardinal’s ring.
He also received the title or name of his titular church in Rome -- Immaculate Conception Parish on the ancient Via Flaminia in the Grottarossa neighborhood of northern Rome -- which is a concrete sign of his new connection to the Diocese of Rome. Pope Francis showed great joy in conferring these things on Cardinal Gregory, who views being made a cardinal as an opportunity to help our Holy Father in serving and caring for the universal Church. Cardinal Gregory was beaming during both the Consistory on Saturday and Pope Francis’s Mass with the new cardinals on Sunday.
At St. Peter's Basilica, Cardinal Gregory stands with seminarians and priests of the Archdiocese of Washington who are studying in Rome. (Courtesy photo)
On Monday, we visited the North American College and ate a socially-distanced lunch with the priests and seminarians from Washington and the U.S. Virgin Islands who are studying there and the priests from Washington who are working in Rome. We then packed up to return home to Washington on Tuesday, where Cardinal Gregory will continue to serve the people of our archdiocese with great love and joy, while also shouldering the other responsibilities to the universal Church that come from being a cardinal.
While it was a challenging trip in some ways, and lacked the usual enjoyable activities of a Consistory pilgrimage, the quiet time of quarantine allowed us to prayerfully prepare for these special ceremonies and to get over jet lag. We prayed daily at Mass for all of the intentions that were entrusted to us for our trip to Rome. The grace of God was clearly at work in all of these times. Cardinal Gregory and I felt great joy during these special liturgies, a joy which will remain in our hearts for a long time to come.
I am grateful to have had the privilege of accompanying Cardinal Gregory in this special moment in his life and in the life of the Church in Washington and the United States. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us on this trip. I hope that when the pandemic subsides, you will have the opportunity to properly greet His Eminence personally and to rejoice with him.
(Father Charles Cortinovis serves as the priest secretary to Cardinal Wilton Gregory and is also the executive director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of Washington)
