The new cardinal was blessed by the Pope

Cardinal Keith O'Brien set out his vision at a reception at the Scots College in Rome.

He said he also planned to champion the institution of marriage.

And he expressed his thanks to the 500-strong group who travelled to Rome to witness his elevation by Pope John Paul II.

Cardinal O'Brien was one of 31 new appointments to the College of Cardinals.

He received the red biretta which signifies his new position on Tuesday.

Ceremonial event

On Wednesday, Cardinal O'Brien was presented with a gold ring by the Pope under the dome of St Peter's Basilica.

The Mass of the Rings was the second and final major ceremonial event for the new consistory.

Cardinal O'Brien later held a reception at the Scots College, which was founded in 1600 to train young men for the priesthood.

One of my goals is the re-Christianisation of Scotland Cardinal Keith O'Brien

Asked what his main objectives would be as leader of Scotland's 750,000 Catholics, he said: "I will be trying to make people more aware of the importance of a stable marriage.

"Standards have deteriorated considerably in my lifetime. So many young people don't seem to bother getting married.

"A lot of marriages are breaking up and there is no stability for many of our children.

"This applies not just to the Roman Catholic Church but to churches in general.

"With my brother bishops I will be leading a concentrated effort to raise standards in married life."

Celebrating Christianity

He also declared his aim of making people more aware of Scotland's Christian history.

"One of my goals is the re-Christianisation of Scotland," he said.

"Other countries are proud of celebrating a couple of hundred years of Christianity, but we have been Christians for 1,600 years.

"I see it as my role to collaborate with other church leaders to remind people of that."