(November 25, 2010) Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, the archbishop of Lima, communicated
to his country Pope Benedict XVI's personal greetings. A press statement from the
Archdiocese of Lima reported that Cardinal Cipriani greeted the Pope personally over
the weekend, where he took part in the Ordinary Public Consistory to create new cardinals,
and that the Holy Father "expressed his affection and concern for Peru." "The Holy
Father sends us a blessing full of affection. Words of affection and closeness of
the Pope which commit us much more to pray for him and to know that he is a man who
loves us very much," added the archbishop of Lima. The cardinal encouraged all the
Peruvian people to be constantly united to the Holy Father through prayer, and to
take care of their children well, love their spouses, go to confession every week.
Cardinal Cipriani also mentioned some reflections the Holy Father gave the cardinals
during the consistory. "The Church seeks to take that truth has nothing to do with
power. The truth of Christ has to do with service, selflessness, the truth of Confession
and the Eucharist, rather than power it is mercy," he said, recalling Benedict XVI's
words. Cardinal Cipriani also pointed out that the Holy Father reminded all the cardinals
of the promise to defend the doctrine of the Church and to be the closest collaborators
of the Pope: "It is a service that commits the cardinals to greater fidelity and to
live their faith in the best possible way."