Reform-oriented and relatively young new Cardinals

Pope appoints Cardinals

The Catholic Church has 20 new cardinals. The youngest is only 48 years old, many are the first cardinals from their region. With this, the Pope shows how he envisions the course of a successor.

They sit in a semi-circle in front of Pope Francis, the churchmen who will now become cardinals. One by one they rise, one by one they step forward, kneel before the Pope.

From his hands they receive the traditional headdress, the red biretta, the cardinal's ring and their certificate of appointment. 20 cardinals are being appointed by Francis here. 16 of them are under 80 years of age. The age is important because only cardinals younger than 80 at the time of a Papal election are eligible to vote. So by appointing younger cardinals, Francis can try to indirectly influence the election of his successor - in the hope that his path will be continued.

The big questions - and the small ones

But what does Francis attach importance to? Shortly before, in his sermon, he described what, in his view, makes a good Cardinal:

"A Cardinal loves the Church, always with the same spiritual fire, whether he is dealing with big or small questions, whether he meets the big ones of this world or the small ones who are big before God."

Francis emphasises this several times: a Cardinal has to deal with the big diplomacy as well as the small pastoral matters. 

"But, we are all political" 

The description applies, for example, to the newly created Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus in the Amazon region - an area badly affected by the Corona pandemic. Steiner helped distribute oxygen bottles. The Brazilian with German roots is also a critic of Brazil's right-wing populist government. For Steiner, this is not a contradiction:

"We all belong to one community. We don't participate in a party. But we are all political, which means we have a responsibility in the community."

Reformers and Trump opponents

Big questions of politics - they are also a topic for the US American, Robert McElroy. As the Bishop of the Californian border city of San Diego, he is a strong advocate for migrants - and in the process has also taken on the Trump administration. McElroy also sees racism, immigration and climate change as important issues for the Church:

"I am new to the College of Cardinals, I still have a lot to learn. But I am happy to start the learning process. And I am very grateful for the new mission that has been entrusted to me and I look forward to contributing in any way I can."

McElroy is considered a reformer - and a strong supporter of the Pope. Francis appointed him a Cardinal, but passed over the actually more influential, conservative president of the US bishops' conference. A sign.

The College is becoming much more international

Francis is also appointing Cardinals who come from regions that have never had a cardinal, such as East Timor. The new Cardinals from Paraguay, Singapore or Korea make the Church more international, and the appointment of Cardinals like Giorgio Marengo makes it somewhat younger. The 48-year-old Italian works in Mongolia, where there are few believers, and says of his appointment:

"I believe that this is a sign of an opening, of fidelity to the Gospel on the part of the Pope. He is addressing the smaller local churches that need more support, that need support on the path to faith."

Inheritance settled? and where do we go from here? 

If you add the new cardinals, Pope Francis has appointed most of the Cardinals eligible for election. Theoretically, it is therefore likely that a two-thirds majority will be found for a Pope who will continue Francis' path at some point.

Theoretically - because often enough the Cardinals in the Conclave then decide for a new pope with completely different ideas.

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