[1/5]Pope Francis attends the consistory ceremony for the appointment of Roman Catholic prelates as cardinals in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, September 30, 2023. Portal/Remo Casilli acquires license rights
VATICAN CITY, Sept 30 (Portal) – Pope Francis further cemented his legacy on Saturday by elevating 21 prelates to the high rank of cardinal and increasing the percentage of electors he chose who have the right to vote for his successor. significantly increased.
At a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square known as the consistory, Francis “created” 21 new cardinals, the red-hatted “Princes of the Church” who are his closest advisers in the Vatican and around the world.
There are now 137 cardinal electors, around 73 percent of whom were elected by Francis. This increases – but does not guarantee – the possibility that the next pope will share his vision of a more progressive, inclusive church.
Eighteen of the 21 are under 80 and therefore eligible under canon law to take part in a secret conclave to choose the next pope after Francis’ death or resignation. They are called cardinal electors. The three people, all over 80, were given the honor because of their long service to the church.
The new cardinals come from the United States, France, Italy, Argentina, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, Tanzania, Venezuela and Portugal.
South Sudan received its first cardinal and Malaysia its second in its history. This is a continuation of Francis’ policy of giving greater recognition to the places he calls the “peripheries” of the world, often those torn by war or where Catholics are a minority.
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A significant appointment is that of Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan of Hong Kong. Chow is a key link to the Catholic Church in communist China, where the Vatican is trying to improve conditions for Catholics. In April the bishop made a historic visit to Beijing.
Another case involves Italian Bishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Francis’ apostolic administrator in the Holy Land, where the Vatican fears that the historic presence of Christians is at risk.
“Diversity is necessary; it is indispensable,” Francis said in his homily at the service, where each new cardinal received a ring of office and the red hat with three blades known as a “biretta.”
It was the pope’s ninth consistory since his election in 2013, and the past decade has seen further changes, with the share of Asian and African cardinal electors rising while the share of those from Europe fell.
Francis will turn 87 in December and whether he calls another consistory next year or in 2025 depends on how long he lives. Although he uses a wheelchair and a cane and has undergone several surgeries, overall he has not slowed down and still maintains a busy schedule.
On October 4, he will open a major month-long meeting at the Vatican, called a synod, that could determine the future of the church.
In his sermon on Saturday morning he called for “an ever more symphonic and synodal church.”
Using the metaphor of an orchestra, Francis appeared to point to divisions between progressives and conservatives in the 1.3 billion-member church, saying one group or instrument cannot play alone or drown out the others.
His job as “conductor” was to listen and try to achieve “creative fidelity.”
The synod from October 4th to 29th has been prepared for two years. Catholics around the world were asked about their vision for the future of the Church.
Advocates welcomed the consultations as an opportunity to change the balance of power in the church and give a greater voice to lay people, including women, and people on the margins of society.
Conservatives say the process was a waste of time, could undermine the hierarchical structure of the nearly 1.3 billion-member church and, in the long run, dilute traditional teaching. A second final meeting will take place in 2024.
(This story has been corrected to show Malaysian is second in the country’s history, not first, in paragraph 6)
Reporting by Philip Pullella, editing by William Maclean
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