VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis will on Saturday create 21 new cardinals from five continents, including bishops from Algiers, Tehran, Tokyo and Abidjan — many of whom may one day help choose his successor.

In the tenth such consistory since he became pope in 2013, Pope Francis, 87, is seeking again to shape the upper echelons of the Catholic Church in his image, and consolidate his legacy as the leader of a more inclusive and global institution.

The Argentine pope — the first pontiff from Latin America — has championed a grassroots Church that values its faithful even far from the Vatican, and has sought to promote the clergy of developing countries to the highest ranks.

This year, Pope Francis has selected five bishops from Latin America (Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina), and two from Africa (Ivory Coast, Algeria) to become cardinals.

The Asia-Pacific region, where Catholicism is growing the fastest, is represented with promotions of the archbishop of Tokyo and the bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Melbourne, Australia.

Pope Francis has also selected Belgian prelate Dominique Joseph Mathieu, who serves as the archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan in Iran. After Saturday’s promotions, Pope Francis will have chosen nearly 78 per cent of the 140 so-called “elector” cardinals.

Twenty of the new group are under the age of 80, making them eligible to vote in the conclave that would be called to choose a new pope in the event of Pope Francis’ death or resignation. But there is no guarantee that his appointments would share his views.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2024