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TIP TOP: New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, kneeling as a cardinal’s skullcap is placed on his head, faces Pope Benedict XVI at yesterday’s ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica. (NY Post: Tamara Beckwith)
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ROME — We’ll drink to that!
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan became the toast of two continents yesterday as he was elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in a majestic Vatican ceremony — and then raised a glass, filled with a frosty Bud, to celebrate the high honor in his inimitable humble way.
Before a red-hatted throng of church elite and 10,000 faithful inside the soaring St. Peter’s Basilica, Dolan, 62, was named a “prince of the church” — and the de facto head of the Catholic Church in America.
Following the consistory, when he was asked what his first order of business would be as New York’s eighth cardinal, Dolan — still wearing his red cassock robe and hat — quipped, “To get a sandwich and a cold beer!”
And that’s exactly what he did at a reception held in his honor at the North American Pontifical College — where he was ordained a priest in 1976. The newly minted prince quaffed from a wine glass.
“More than being a cardinal, I want to be a saint,” he joked. “I’ve got a long way to go.”
Dolan hugged his mother, Shirley, 84, who said she went “numb” when her son walked up to the altar to greet the pope.
“I said numb — not dumb,” she added, smiling.
Earlier, the pontiff presented Dolan and each of the 21 other men elevated to cardinal with a red hat, or biretta, and a gold ring, saying to them, “The new cardinals, in their service, are called to remain faithful to Christ at all times, letting themselves be guided only by His gospel.”
Aside from the title of “his eminence,” Dolan was also given a large scroll containing the name of his “titular church” — a parish in Rome that is symbolically assigned to all men who become cardinals.
A frail-looking Benedict, 84, told the incoming members of the College of Cardinals that they “need to serve the church with love and vigor, with the transparency and wisdom of teachers, with the energy and strength of shepherds, with the fidelity and courage of martyrs.”
Nearly 800 New Yorkers were present in the historic church — the largest in Christendom — to see Dolan get called up to the ornate altar, where Benedict carefully placed the biretta on his head and slipped the ring on his finger.
Aside from the pilgrims living in the New York Archdiocese who made the trip to Rome, Dolan’s family and close friends from his native St. Louis were also in attendance.
“It’s a special day for all of us,” said Dolan’s brother Bob. “It’s something we’ll never forget.”
Outside the basilica, hundreds more gathered in a sun-drenched St. Peter’s Square to watch the ceremony — which began at around 4:30 a.m. New York time — on two giant TV screens. The crowd erupted into loud applause once the ceremony ended and the new cardinals had been created.
The two-hour ceremony was highlighted by the 22 newest cardinals standing before the altar in a semicircle while they took their oaths. Afterward, the pope called each up to the altar individually.
Dolan, who was the 16th, bowed and kneeled before the pope. After he was given his ring and hat, Dolan, who sported a big grin, walked back to his chair.
“The whole time, I was worried about falling,” he said.
Benedict said the rings he placed on the finger of each cardinal bear the images of Sts. Peter and Paul, as well the Virgin Mary.
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He said the symbols were a reminder “each day to remember the witness which these two Apostles gave to Christ even unto martyrdom in Rome, their blood making the church fruitful.
“The example of the Virgin Mother will always be for you an invitation to follow her who was strong in faith and a humble servant of God.”
Also elevated was a Bronx native — Ed O’Brien, the former archbishop of Baltimore and currently the head of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, an order of knights dating back to the Middle Ages.
“The new cardinals are entrusted with the service of love — love for God, love for His church, an absolute and unconditional love for his brothers and sisters, even unto shedding their blood, if necessary, as expressed in the words of placing the biretta and as indicated by the color of their robes,” the pope said.
In addition to leading the 2.6 million Catholics living in Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island and seven upstate counties, Dolan becomes the unofficial head of the nation’s 78 million Catholics.
The new cardinal also becomes one of 125 cardinals responsible for electing a new pontiff.
“This is not just an honor for me — but for all of New York,” said Dolan, who will be leaving Rome on Tuesday.
The cardinal said he “never believed” he’d be made a cardinal.
“How about this for a Cardinal hat?” he said, pointing to his biretta while making a reference to his hometown’s baseball team.
Asked whether his jokes would go down well at the Vatican now that he’s a cardinal, Dolan said he “was always taught to be himself.”
“There is a saying in Italian,” he said. “You make gnocchi with the dough you have.”