The newly-appointed Cardinal's comments came during ceremony at the church of San Marcellino al Corso, where he has been made resident cardinal.
"May the Lord's word ring true also for me, at the service of the Church as a whole, in union with the ministry of Peter's Successor," Betori said from the ambon of San Marcellino al Corso.
"At the service of this communion and therefore essentially at the service of the Eucharist is the Shepherds' Ministry, the binding unity of which is Peter's Successor" the Archbishop of Florence and former secretary of the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) said.
Betori told cardinals that "it is also asked that the Church be served with love and vigour, with the clarity and wisdom of masters, the energy and strength of shepherds, and the loyalty and courage of martyrs. It is a question of being eminent servants of the Church, which finds in Peter the visible foundation of unity".
"There is no donation of the self without sacrifice, as the Pope has said," Betori insisted in his homily.
"This awareness can intimidate and, in order to be confronted, needs help from on High. This is what I ask all of you here present, to communicate with the Lord for me and for my ministry, entrusting our invocations to the intercession of the Virgin," Betori said.