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VATICAN CITY (CBS4) ― Less than three years after taking over an archdiocese mired in scandal, Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley ascends to cardinal.

He's among 15 prelates who were elevated at the Vatican Friday morning.

Pope Benedict presided over the ceremony, which also marks the first gathering of the College of Cardinals since Benedict's election last year.

O'Malley knelt before Pope Benedict the 16th shortly after 5:30 AM (Eastern Time) and received the three-cornered biretta – officially inducting him into the College of Cardinals and making him a prince of the Catholic Church.

O'Malley and the other new cardinals were dressed in bright red garments. Red is the ecclesiastical color reserved for their rank as the elite band of churchmen who advise the pope and, when the time comes, elect his successor.

The cardinals also were each assigned a "titular" church in Rome to cement their links to the Eternal City. O'Malley was assigned to the Santa Maria della Vittoria.

O'Malley has been praised for a 2003 settlement with more than 500 people who had been molested by priests. But he's also faced criticism for a reorganization plan that included closing dozens of Boston-area churches.

At St. Anthony's Shrine in Boston on Friday morning, CBS4's Dan Rea spoke with Former ambassador to the Vatican and former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn about the consistory. He was asked to compare and contrast the mood in Rome on Friday to 21 years ago, when Cardinal Bernard Law was elevated.

"It's like night and day. Kathy and I were there in 1985 and of course we've been there for a number of consistories even when there weren't cardinals from Boston being elevated," said Flynn. "The reason for it is, of course, Cardinal O'Malley purposely wanted to low-key this kind of event. I only wish for those watching it on TV today would understand what it is like and what it was like. It was just an exciting, momentous event, and still is, but it was far more public than it is now, and I can understand the reason why people would look at that and say there's no really significant reason to celebrate.

O'Malley took over in Boston from Cardinal Bernard Law amid the clergy sex abuse scandal.

Every archbishop of Boston since 1911 has been named a cardinal by the Vatican.

O'Malley hopes his elevation to cardinal signals a new start in the archdiocese.

Before coming to Boston, O'Malley spent nine months as leader of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, where his two immediate predecessors resigned after admitting they'd molested minors.

As bishop of Fall River, he led the church through a scandal involving pedophile priest James Porter, who was convicted of molesting dozens of children.

Thousands of spectators attended the ceremony at St. Peter's Square on Friday while Several Catholics in the greater Boston area are celebrate O'Malley's elevation at masses and prayer services.

CBS4's Lisa Hughes spoke with Father Paul O'Brien from St. Patrick's Church in Lawrence about Friday's events. He spoke about the new roles O'Malley would have as a cardinal. "He'll have all kinds of new responsibilities and his voice will be heard in a new way and so, what he says will be more important," said Fr. O'Brien. "People are depending on him with the College of Cardinals to be advisors to the people, so he has a new importance."

The 15 new cardinals will increase the number of cardinals to 193. One-hundred twenty of those cardinals, who are under the age of 80, will be able to vote for Pope Benedict's successor.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)