A spirit of gratitude radiated out of Toronto's new Cardinal Francis Leo — as vivid as the red cassock adorning him — as he entered a Dec. 7 reception at the Spazio Vittoria event space several hours after being elevated to the College of Cardinals.

Standing in communion alongside brother bishops from Argentina, Ecuador, Iran, Serbia and a rich assemblage of other nations, Toronto's Archbishop Francis Leo was elevated to the College of Cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica today.

In the presence of cardinals, bishops, priests, laity, colleagues, friends and family, Cardinal-elect Leo pledged a Dec. 6 welcome reception and dinner for the Canadian delegation to live up to the vows he will take at the Papal Consistory on Dec. 7. 

Discounting the brief wave and greeting I directed to Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo when I viewed him touring The Catholic Register’s office on Yonge Street from the comfort of my remote workspace in Calgary, I first enjoyed a full-on interaction with the now Cardinal this past January.

Ontario’s Catholic bishops await learning which dicastery assignments Pope Francis will confer to new Cardinal Toronto Francis Leo with great anticipation.

In October, when he was invited to join the College of Cardinals, Cardinal-elect Francis Leo said he would discern how this elevation could help him become an even better servant for the Archdiocese of Toronto and beyond.

For the most part, we can say the Catholic Church has done its share to make this a better world, and done this very well despite a few hiccups here and there.

According to Vincent Veerasuntharam's tabulations, 100 delegates departed from Toronto Pearson Airport, and an additional 75 emissaries lifted off from Montréal–Trudeau International Airport to witness Cardinal Francis Leo being welcomed into the College of Cardinals at the Vatican.

Anyone interested in Catholic Church can now see a detailed, interactive breakdown of the body that will elect the next pope.

Popes have made a habit of exceeding the statutory limit on the number of cardinals under the age of 80, but Pope Francis is planning to set a record.

Coming from different parts of the world and having different experiences and talents, members of the College of Cardinals are called to create a "symphony," listening to one another and to the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis said.

One consequence of Pope Francis choosing new cardinals from the "peripheries" is that friends, family and fans of the newly elevated are just as shocked and surprised as the new cardinals are themselves to have been given the honor.

Pope Francis continues to make surprise additions to the College of Cardinals with plenty of "firsts," and perhaps the most surprising of those "firsts" this time is just how many cardinal electors there will be.

Becoming a member of the broad, unique body of the College of Cardinals is both a great honor and an invitation to help promote a renewal of the Catholic Church's mission of evangelization, some new cardinals said.

Pope Francis will lead a consistory to install new cardinals on Aug. 27. The 16 new cardinal electors, eligible to vote in the next election of a pope, come from surprising places, and many are involved with people on society’s margins. As observers note, the men this Pope has named princes of the Church often have no pretensions to royalty. They are God’s servants in the vineyard of life.