Pope names 21 new cardinals – including a 99-year-old previously held hostage - The College of Cardinals will one day elect his successor

Pope Francis announces a consistory for the creation of 21 new Cardinals from around the world to be held in the Vatican on 8 December 2024. Vatican | DEBORAH CASTELLANO LUBOV -VATICAN NEWS | Pope Francis announced after his Sunday Angelus that he would hold a Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals on 8

The nomination of Bishop Mykola Bychok gave Ukraine its only cardinal and sent a subtle political message as Russia’s war grinds on.

Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, significantly increasing the size of the College of Cardinals and further cementing his mark on the group of prelates who will one day elect his successor.

An Australian bishop has been named among 21 new cardinals in the Catholic Church by Pope Francis. Among those named by the 87-year-old pontiff announced during his weekly noon-time prayer with pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square on Sunday (local time) was Bishop Mykola Bychok of Melbourne’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

In announcing on Sunday that he would appoint 21 new cardinals, Pope Francis once again elevated clerics from far beyond Catholicism’s traditional centers of power, in line with his vision of a more global,

The surprise move means Francis has picked 112 of 142 voting-age members of the College of Cardinals, which has a technical limit of 120.

Pope Francis has chosen 21 new cardinals in a move that once again shows his determination to reshape the group of churchmen who will elect his successor.