Spanish Aquilino Bocos received news of his appointment as cardinal only three days after his 80th birthday. After a lifetime of service to the Church, being cardinal is a new impulse for him.
CARD. AQUILINO BOCOS
'For me it was a surprise. The moment he asked me, I did not know how to say anything other than 'Blessed be God.' But I also put myself at the pope's disposition in everything.'
Cardinal Bocos is a Claretian who has worked for years in the promotion of consecrated life. For this reason, he assures that for many people his appointment as a cardinal has been seen as public acknowledgment by the pope of the importance of religious.
CARD. AQUILINO BOCOS
'Yesterday morning I arrived in Rome, I met with a religious sister and she said, 'We are very happy because you were made a cardinal. In you, we are all recognized as consecrated religious.' At night, I receive a letter from a cardinal and he says, 'I am very happy the pope has named you cardinal, because it is a way of recognizing religious life.''
For more than a decade he was the Claretians superior, accompanying many people who have ever considered the meaning of their life. Now that there is so much talk about vocational crisis, he gives this advice to anyone discerning.
CARD. AQUILINO BOCOS
'You must be serious with your own life, because probably within your very heart, in the most intimate part, there is a voice that still calls you, 'Come and follow me.''
He received his appointment with great simplicity and tranquility but, at the same time, he says it's been a great joy. Because of the date it was announced, it was almost a birthday gift that Pope Francis gave him.
