Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Pope Francis to create 20 new cardinals who may choose his successor

Pope Francis to create 20 new cardinals who may choose his successor

Pope Francis is creating 20 new cardinals on Saturday, a further step in the preparation of his succession.
The consistory, the eighth of Francis' pontificate since his election in 2013, comes against a backdrop of speculation that the 85-year-old pope, who has been forced to use a wheelchair for several months due to knee pain, might step down one day.

At 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Saturday, under the gilding of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Pope will create 20 new cardinals, among whom 16 “electors” — those under the age of 80 — will be able to participate in the future conclave.

The appointment of these senior prelates to assist the pope is being scrutinized by observers as an indication of the future spiritual leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics.

Sensitive to minority communities and to evangelization, the Argentinean Jesuit has freed himself from the traditional choice of archbishops from large cities, preferring less expected profiles.

With five Asians, including two Indians, this consistory confirms the rise in power of this continent. It is also "representative of today's Church, with a large place for the southern hemisphere", where 80% of Catholics live, underlines Vatican expert Bernard Lecomte.

At the end of this consistory, the first since November 2020, Pope Francis will have chosen 83 cardinals out of the current total of 132 electors: almost two-thirds, the proportion necessary to elect a new pope, even if this choice is always unpredictable.

With 40% of the electors, Europe remains the most represented continent, ahead of South America and Asia (16% each), Africa (13%) and North America (12%).

Among the notable personalities is the American Robert McElroy, Bishop of San Diego in California, who is considered progressive for his positions on homosexual Catholics in particular.

Also of note is the unexpected choice of Italian missionary Giorgio Marengo, who works in Mongolia and will become the world's youngest cardinal at 48.

Alongside them is Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, who becomes the sixth Frenchman in the College of Cardinals.

"This trust that the Pope has placed in me is a great honor, which commits me and obliges me even more in my mission in the service of Christ," said Archbishop Aveline, 63, who is particularly committed to interreligious dialogue.

Other men from the field to wear the purple robe are Nigerian Peter Okpaleke, Brazilian Leonardo Ulrich Steiner and Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva, Archbishop of East Timor.

Three future cardinals already hold positions of responsibility in the Curia, the Vatican's "government": the British Arthur Roche, the South Korean Lazzaro You Heung-sik and the Spaniard Fernando Vérgez Alzaga.

As is customary, all will kneel before the Pope to receive their red biretta and cardinal's ring. The ceremony, at which France will be represented by its Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, will be followed by the traditional "courtesy visit" to the Vatican, which allows the public to greet the new cardinals.

Following this, on Monday and Tuesday, there will be a meeting with cardinals from all over the world, whom the Argentine pontiff wanted to bring together to discuss the new Vatican "Constitution", which came into force in June, and the future of the Church.

Jorge Bergoglio has recently accelerated his reforms of the Curia and its finances to introduce more transparency.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
×