Cardinal Named Protector of Roman Church

ROME -- A cardinal who was Pope John Paul II's closest aide for 40 years was named protector of a Roman church Tuesday in a ceremony imbued with the memory of the late pope.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz was appointed archbishop of Krakow, Poland, and then elevated to cardinal by John Paul's successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

New cardinals are assigned a titular church in Rome to cement their links to the Eternal City. Dziwisz, 67, led Tuesday's ceremony at the ancient Santa Maria del Popolo church.

"I come to you today with all the love I carry and continue to carry in my heart for John Paul II," he told the well-wishers.

At the end of the ceremony, Dziwisz made a gift to the church of a large painting showing John Paul II standing above St. Peter's Square holding a red book of Gospels with the pages fluttering in the air.

Dziwisz recently collaborated on a book with an Italian journalist recounting several dramatic episodes in his career as John Paul's secretary, including the moments after John Paul was shot by a Turkish gunman in 1981. The book will be published next year.