Cormac Murphy-O’Connor hails 'year of two cardinals' as Nichols prepares to receive the red hat

On the eve of Vincent Nichols receiving the red hat from Pope Francis, his predecessor in Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, prayed for him, celebrated Mass, and in a homily said that as last year had been the "Year of the Two Popes", this year is the "Year of the Two Cardinals". Preaching in his titular church in Rome, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the cardinal said on Friday evening: I want to begin by welcoming you to this church, my Titular Church here in Rome; I hope that my Successor is as lucky as to receive a similarly beautiful one! It seems extraordinary to me that we spoke of 2013 as the “Year of the Two Popes”, and now we find that 2014 has turned out to be the “Year of the Two Cardinals”! I say this because it is in fact the first time