VATICAN CITY - Encouraging obedience and missionary zeal, Pope Benedict XVI ordained a group of new priests Sunday, with many of the men coming from Latin America and Africa as the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe struggles with falling numbers of recruits for the clergy.
Just before the men stepped up one by one to pledge their loyalty to the pontiff at the central altar of St. Peter's Basilica, Benedict stressed obedience and dynamism in spreading the church's mission to reach all people.
"All of us are part of the network of obedience to the word of Christ," Benedict said in his homily.
"The mission must continuously put us into motion, make us restless, to bring to those who suffer, to those who are in doubt, and even to those who are reluctant, the joy of Christ," Benedict said.
Like his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, Benedict - also rigorously conservative - has dedicated his new papacy to spreading the Gospel worldwide and to shoring up flagging faith among Catholics.
The pontiff is also the bishop of Rome, and the 21 new priests are attached to the Rome diocese.
After a procession through a cloud of incense up the center aisle of the basilica, Benedict, wearing red robes, walked briskly to the main altar and acknowledged the congregation's applause by raising his hands.
The midmorning ceremony was the latest in a series of long public appearances by the 78-year-old pontiff in recent days, and he looked tired at times.
Praying silently, he put his hands on the head of each of the new priests, who, earlier in the ceremony, had lain face down in their white cassocks on a red carpet before him. The new priests promised to serve the faithful for life.
Eleven of the new priests are Italian, while the others come from elsewhere in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
There is a shortage of recruits for the priesthood in many parts of western Europe, including Italy. While Italy's people are predominantly Roman Catholic, many of them worship in churches where Sunday Mass is celebrated by Asian, African or Latin American priests.
Some of the new priests beamed, while others prayed silently after clerics put red robes on them after their ordination.
Most of the men ordained by Benedict are in their late 20s or early 30s, but one of the Italians is 55 and an Irishman in the group is 46. The youngest is 25.
They recited their vows in Italian, some with heavy accents. The nationalities represented included Nigerian, Angolan and Kenyan, Romanian, Uruguayan, Costa Rican, Bolivian and Peruvian.
Catholic faithful in several parts of the world, especially in the United States, have been demoralized by scandals in which priests were accused of sexually molesting young people, many of whom had trusted and admired their parish clergy before the abuse.
Benedict in his homily made no reference to the scandals, but as part of the ritual of the ordination, the pope asked Rome Cardinal Camillo Ruini of the candidates: "'Are you certain they are worthy?"
Ruini assured him they were, based on assessments from their seminaries.
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