Pope Francis has announced that he will elevate 21 churchmen to the prestigious rank of cardinal, placing his stamp on the group that will select his successor after his death or resignation.
The ceremony to appoint them, known as a consistory, will take place on September 30, the 86-year-old Francis revealed on Sunday at his noon prayer in St Peter’s Square to pilgrims and visitors.
Eighteen of the churchmen are under the age of 80 and would be eligible to vote in a conclave to elect the next Pope. The remaining three were named in recognition of their great service to the Church and are beyond the age of 80, making them ineligible to vote in the conclave.
All cardinals, whatever of age, are entitled to participate in pre-conclave meetings known as General Congregations, which give them a say on the type of pope their younger brother cardinals should choose.
The new cardinals are from the United States, Italy, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Portugal, among other countries.
Three of the new cardinals have lately been appointed as leaders of significant Vatican departments, including Argentine Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, who is in charge of the Vatican’s doctrinal department.
Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan of Hong Kong was another notable appointment. Chow is one of the most important ties to the Catholic Church in communist China, where the Vatican is working to ameliorate Catholic conditions.
For decades, tensions between the Vatican and China have alternated with improvements in ties due to the Communist-led nation’s insistence on the ability to nominate bishops and the imprisonment of priests who claimed devotion to the pope.
On Sunday, in remarks preceding his reading out of the list of new cardinals, Pope Francis also expressed hope that Israeli and Palestinian authorities would take up “direct dialogue” to end the “spiral of violence” – a reference to recent deadly raids by Israeli forces.
Cardinals advise the Pope on teaching and administration issues, particularly the Vatican’s scandal-plagued finances. Their most important task, however, is to convene in a secret conclave to pick the next Pope.
During his papacy, Francis has appointed a number of new cardinals. That means that, in the event of his retirement or death, the men who will vote for whoever follows him are increasingly churchmen who share his beliefs, interests, and viewpoints.
