The new cardinal was blessed by the Pope

Keith O'Brien, archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, was declared a cardinal by Pope John Paul II at a special ceremony in the Vatican on Tuesday.

Speaking after the ceremony, Cardinal O'Brien said: "Today is for me a time of great happiness and pride.

"I am humbled by the outpouring of love, affection and support that has flooded over me in recent weeks.

Looking back to that spring day in 1965 when I was ordained a priest, I could never have imagined or predicted the path my vocation would take Cardinal O'Brien

"Looking back to that spring day in 1965 when I was ordained a priest, I could never have imagined or predicted the path my vocation would take.

"Whatever hopes and thoughts I had then of what the future might hold, I never came close to imagining a day like today."

The 65-year-old was elevated to the College of Cardinals during a special open-air mass on the steps of the Vatican Basilica.

The frail 83-year-old pontiff made the appointments as part of celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of his own election as Pope.

Thirty one bishops were made cardinals

Cardinal O'Brien, who was born in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, was the 14th to be called forward by the Pope to receive the red biretta, which signifies his new position in the Church.

He went on an impromptu walkabout in St Peter's Square, waving a saltire, following the ceremony.

Accompanied by a lone piper, he led more than 500 Scots pilgrims who had travelled to the Vatican to see the ceremony in a rendition of Flower of Scotland.

Bishops and clergy from all over Scotland were in attendance.

Among the guests were Parliament Minister Patricia Ferguson, who represented the Scottish Executive and businessman Sir Tom Farmer and his wife Lady Anne.

Cardinal O'Brien's brother Terry, 62, and his wife Barbara flew to Rome for the week's events from their home in Lagos, on the Algarve.

Cardinal O'Brien waved a saltire during his walkabout

News of the Pope's intention to elevate the archbishop to the position has thrust him into the media spotlight in Scotland in recent weeks.

At a press conference in Rome on Monday, he denied reports that he had called for the church to debate celibacy, contraception and homosexuality at a mass in Edinburgh, just days after his appointment was announced.

He then pledged his allegiance to the Pope.

Cardinal O'Brien told reporters: "I would strongly object to the wrong reports that have been circulated about me round the world.

"I did not say anything against the church's teachings at that mass."

Cardinal O'Brien is the third resident post-Reformation Cardinal in Scotland.