Pope Francis has appointed 21 new cardinals

This is the tenth concord that the Pope has called since he was elected 11 years ago. The new cardinals come from a wide range of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Italy, Great 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 assembly that chose a new pope after Francis’ death or who may resign. Only one of them is older, a 99-year-old Italian archbishop, who has been appointed in gratitude for his service to the Church. So apparently he became the new oldest leader. On the other hand, 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 primary voters, nearly 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 places less emphasis on European countries than before, she said. a Reuters representative.

Church law technically limits the number of primitive electors to 120. However, recent popes have often exceeded that number. Next year, 14 cardinals will reach the age of 80, including one named today.

All cardinals, regardless of age, can participate in a pre-convocation meeting called the General Congregation. This will give them the opportunity to give their views on who they think the younger cardinals should choose.

The cardinals are second only to the Pope in the hierarchy of the church. They will be his closest advisers.