Eleanor Service |
17 new cardinals of the Catholic Church have been named by Pope Francis, 13 of which are eligible to vote in Pope Francis’ successor when he passes away or resigns.
The majority of the new cardinals are from developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Sunday’s appointments emphasise the increasing influence from the developing world at the Vatican.
Italy has dominated church politics for centuries, but only one of the new cardinals are from Italy.
Pope Francis, who will be celebrating his 80th birthday in December, is putting down important markers for the future of the Catholic Church.
Three of the new cardinals are American, Pope Francis’ first promotions of US clerics to key positions of power. Amongst these are recently appointed archbishops of Chicago and Indianapolis.
The move is a reflection of the success of Pope Francis’ first visit to North America last year.
After the pope, cardinals are the most senior members in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.
This is the third time Pope Francis has appointed new cardinals since his election in 2013 as the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
