When Archbishop Thomas Collins becomes Thomas Cardinal Collins the principal colour of his vestments will become scarlet to symbolize the blood that a cardinal is willing to shed for his faith.

Scarlet was installed as the colour for cardinals by Pope Gregory X at the Second Council of Lyon in 1274.

With his elevation to the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Thomas Collins has updated his bishop’s coat of arms. The biggest change is an emphasis on the colour red of a cardinal. Here is an explanation of the new emblem.

The motto “Deum Adora” (Worship God) is taken from Revelation 22:9.

Pope Benedict XVI has named 22 men to the College of Cardinals. They are listed below.

Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins will become the 16th Canadian Cardinal. View details of the other "princes of the church" below.

The following is the list of cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to elect the pope. They are listed in alphabetical order, with their country. 

Although the consistory to elevate Archbishop Thomas Collins to cardinal is being held in the Vatican, the events of this historic week are only an alarm clock (or rooster) away for most Canadians.

Salt + Light Television will be carrying the major events live and showing others on tape delay. That means that, due to the six-hour time difference between Rome and Toronto, viewers will need to be in front of their televisions in the wee hours of the morning to witness Collins receive his red hat from Pope Benedict XVI.

The most important duty of a cardinal is to elect the Pope, but the responsibilities of the College of Cardinals have steadily evolved over the centuries. Cardinals are personally selected by the Pope. They give counsel to the Pope, contribute to the governance of the Church and act as papal envoys. Some are officers of the Roman Curia while many serve as bishops of major diocese around the world. Cardinals have been responsible for electing popes since 1059. They remain eligible to vote until age 80 and the number of voting cardinals is limited to 120.

When Archbishop Thomas Collins accepts the ring and biretta from Pope Benedict XVI he will be a cardinal priest — the middle rank between cardinal deacons and cardinal bishops. Some time after the ceremony he will also receive a titular church in Rome.

Dividing the College of Cardinals into bishops, priests and deacons can be a tad confusing, given that all cardinals must receive episcopal ordination upon being named to the college if they aren’t already bishops. The internal ranking of cardinals reflects a number of historical precedents.

Cardinal-designate Collins becomes the 16th cardinal in Canadian history. Here is the entire list.