New cardinal’s first act was having dinner with the poor

By Kielce Gussie

The College of Cardinals grew a bit as 21 men received their red hats from Pope Francis on December 7. Coming from 17 countries, the newly created cardinals demonstrate the universal character of the Church. One of them, the French archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, spoke to Vatican News about his first act as cardinal.

Share the gift

Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco spent his second evening as cardinal sharing a meal with the poor. In collaboration with members of the Rome Marathon, the Vatican Athletics Club shared dinner and small gifts with those waiting in front of the homeless shelter, just in front of St. Peter’s colonnade.

Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco receives his red bar from the hands of Pope Francis

Cardinal Vesco expressed his gratitude for being invited to the dinner as it gave him the opportunity to “share the gift” of his new appointment with people. He described the event as being filled with “a lot of love.”

From Lyon to Rome

Born in Lyon, France, in 1962, Jean-Paul Vesco began working as a lawyer before joining the Dominican Order at the age of 34. Sixteen years later, he was appointed bishop of Oran, Algeria and served as delegate of the diocese to come. of the International Assembly of Algeria. In 2022, Pope Francis named him archbishop of Algiers.

Situation in Algeria

After more than 100 years under French control, Algeria became independent in 1962. Twenty-nine years later, the country was in the grip of a civil war between Islamist rebel groups and the national armed forces. More than 100,000 people were killed.

Today, Algeria is one of the largest economies on the African continent and one of the largest suppliers of natural gas to Europe.