Vatican City: Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, originally from France, expressed his desire to share the honor of being named a cardinal with others. On December 7, Pope Francis expanded the College of Cardinals by inducting 21 new members from 17 different countries, showcasing the global reach of the Church. One of the new cardinals, the French archbishop of Algiers, took the opportunity to speak with Vatican News about his first act as a cardinal.

On the second evening following his elevation, Cardinal Vesco chose to spend time with the homeless, sharing a meal with them. He joined members of the Vatican’s Athletics Club, who had gathered outside a homeless shelter near St. Peter’s colonnade to offer dinner and small gifts to those in need. Cardinal Vesco expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, seeing it as a chance to “share the gift” of his new position with others. He described the experience as being filled with “a lot of love.”

Born in Lyon, France in 1962, Vesco initially pursued a career in law before joining the Dominican Order at 34. Sixteen years later, he was appointed bishop of Oran, Algeria, where he also served as a delegate for the International Assembly of Algeria. In 2022, Pope Francis named him archbishop of Algiers.

Algeria, which gained independence from France in 1962, experienced a brutal civil war beginning in the 1990s, leaving over 100,000 people dead. Today, Algeria is one of Africa's largest economies and a key supplier of natural gas to Europe.