Terry Donilon said O'Malley was "really relieved" about the Vatican's decision and that "He loves being the archbishop of Boston and so we're pleased that that was settled right out of the box." The archdiocese statement also claimed that "The Cardinal is pleased to have the continued confidence of the Holy Father and looks forward to continuing to serve the people of God in Boston and in support of the Pope’s ministry in leading the universal church." Cardinal Pope Benedict XVI elevated O'Malley to the rank of cardinal-priest in the consistory of March 24, 2006. O'Malley was assigned the titular church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome. The following May, O'Malley was named as a member of both the Congregation for the Clergy and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in the Roman Curia. In late September 2009, he became a member of the Presidential Council of the Pontifical Council for the Family. On September 19, 2006, O'Malley became the first cardinal with a personal blog. As of Christmas 2006 he began offering a regular podcast as well. He views the podcasts as "yet another tool [he] can use to reach the young people in our Church who more and more are turning to the Internet for their information." O'Malley participated in the 2013 papal conclave, which elected Pope Francis, where he was among the cardinals considered papabile, that is, a contender for election to the papacy. As of 2021, O'Malley is the one of the four Capuchin members of the College of Cardinals. On April 13, 2013, O'Malley was appointed to a group of eight cardinals established by Francis a month after his election, to advise him and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Pastor bonus. The pope was already in contact with the members of this group.Along with then Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, O'Malley accompanied Francis to Cuba on September 20, 2015. O'Malley praised the new tone of Francis' papacy. He stated however that those that expected change in doctrine from the pope on sexual ethics like abortion rights for women, contraception, and same-sex marriage would be disappointed. He also indicated that the church would not alter the ban on Communion for the divorced remarried and that he saw no theological justification for doing so. On January 14, 2017, Pope Francis named O'Malley a member of