Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals: there are 5 Latin Americans

Pope Francis, who appeared with a wound on his chin, elevated to the rank of cardinal on December 7 21 prelates from the five continents, with an important Latin American presence, reflection of his interest in the peripheries in an increasingly globalized Church.

With this “ordinary consistory”, the tenth since his election in 2013, the Argentine pope, who will turn 88 in a few days, continues to consolidate his legacy and mold the college of cardinals in his image that when the time comes he must appoint his successor.

Francis appointed more than 78% of the 140 “elector” cardinals, those under 80 years of age, with the power to vote in conclaves which require a two-thirds majority to elect a pontiff.

The Consistory ceremony began on the afternoon of Saturday, December 7 in the majestic setting of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the same day of the reopening of Notre Dame de Paris, to which the pope decided not to attend.

With a broken voice, Jorge Bergoglio appeared with a large bruise on his chin, covered by a bandage. According to Vatican sources, he hit himself when he fell out of bed on Friday morning, although the Vatican did not issue a statement on the matter.

As is tradition, the new “princes of the Church” They knelt one after another before him to receive the biretta, a quadrangular purple cap and a ring. “Go ahead!” the holy father told them as a sign of encouragement.

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Since his election, Francis has highlighted remote dioceses in what he calls the “peripheries”, even in places where Catholics are a minority, breaking with the custom of systematically distinguishing archbishops from large dioceses such as Milan or Paris.

This new promotion follows the same line, with a important representation from Latin America and Asia, but only two from Africa (those from Abidjan in the Ivory Coast and from Algiers).

Who are the new Latin American cardinals?

The new Latin American cardinals will be the archbishops of Lima, Carlos Gustavo Castillo; of Santiago del Estero and primate of Argentina, Vicente Bokalic; from Guayaquil, Luis Gerardo Cabrera; the archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Fernando Natalio Chomali, and that of Porto Alegre, in Brazil, Jaime Spengler.

“We have to deepen this line of an open Church,” said the Argentine Bokalic before dressing in purple in an interview with the official media of the Holy See, Vatican News.

Asia-Pacific, the region that has grown the most in the last decade, It is represented by the Belgian Dominique Joseph Mathieu, archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan, by the archbishop of Tokyo and by the bishop of the Ukrainian community in Melbourne (Australia).

“By fixing his gaze on you, who come from different histories and cultures and represent the catholicity of the Church, the Lord calls you to be witnesses of fraternity, artisans of communion and builders of unity,” the pope stated in his homily.

The new college of cardinals “presents a rich, geographical and sociological diversity”, which is a “positive” sign, but “on condition that collegiality is reinforced”, Monsignor Jean Paul Vesco, 62, said in an interview with AFP. , archbishop of Algiers and one of those promoted.

The Argentine pope, who frequently criticizes “spiritual worldliness” and seeks to free the high echelons of the Church from the cult of appearances, also warned the cardinals about the danger of allowing themselves to be “dazzled by the attraction of prestige and the seduction of can”.

With new cardinals they seek to promote the clergy to the ranks

The election of cardinals is the exclusive responsibility of the head of the Catholic Church, who selects them according to his own criteria and priorities.

They have the mission of assisting the pope in the central government of the Church. Some reside in Rome and serve in the Curia (the Vatican “government”), but most minister in their home dioceses.

The creation of cardinals is closely followed by religious specialists, who see it as an indication of the possible line of the future spiritual leader of the Catholic Church and its nearly 1.4 billion faithful.

Besides Francisco left open the possibility of resigning, like his predecessor Benedict XVI, if his declining health justified it.

Committed to a grassroots and decentralized Church, Jorge Bergoglio seeks to promote clergy from developing countries to the highest ranks of the institution.

However, the election of a pope is always unpredictable, and some cardinals appointed by Francis do not necessarily share his ideas, and even openly oppose them.

Others believe that the great diversity of the cardinals, who know little of each other and rarely see each other, could lead the next conclave to seek a compromise with a strong and balanced figure who inspires collective confidence.