Today, Pope Francis appointed 21 new cardinals. He thus significantly expanded the college of cardinals who will one day choose his successor. The solemn ceremony, known as the consistory, in which the pope presents the newly appointed cardinals with the insignia, will take place on December 8. The head of the Catholic Church announced this today during his prayer with pilgrims and tourists.
It will be the tenth consistory that the Pope has convened since his election 11 years ago. The new cardinals come from a wide range of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Italy, Britain, Serbia, Japan, Iran, Indonesia, Canada, Ivory Coast and Algeria.
There are 20 people on the list who are under 80 years old. That means they can vote in the conclave that will elect a new pope after Francis’ death or possible resignation. Only one of them is older, he is a 99-year-old Italian archbishop, whose appointment is a thank you for his service to the Church. He thus apparently became the oldest newly appointed cardinal. On the contrary, the youngest appointee is Mykola Byčok from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, he is 44 years old.
By the beginning of next year, there will be 140 cardinal electors, almost 80 percent of whom were chosen by Francis. This raises the possibility that the next pope will share his vision of a more progressive and inclusive church. Francis also regularly appoints cardinal electors from countries far from Rome and attaches less importance to European countries than his predecessors, the Reuters agency pointed out.
Church law technically limits the number of cardinal electors to 120. However, recent popes have often exceeded that number. Next year, 14 cardinals will reach the age of 80, including one appointed today.
All cardinals, regardless of age, can participate in a pre-conclave meeting called the General Congregation. This gives them an opportunity to have their say on which person they think the younger cardinals should choose.
Cardinals are second only to the Pope in the church hierarchy. They serve as his closest advisors.
Source: www.tyden.cz
