Pope Francis (AFP)
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis said on Sunday he would appoint 21 new cardinals from across the world at the end of September.
“Their provenance expresses the universality of the Church that continues to proclaim God’s merciful love to all people on earth,” said the pope, following his weekly Sunday Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Saint Peter’s Square.
The consistory will be the ninth for the creation of cardinals under Pope Francis, who is in the tenth year of his papacy.
His choices are closely watched as cardinals under the age of 80 will participate in the vote to nominate the successor to Francis.
The names Francis announced Sunday include clergy in regions where Christianity is growing, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Among the archbishops to become cardinals are those of Juba, South Sudan, Bogota, Colombia, as well as bishops from Penang, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
The list also includes Italian Claudio Gugerotti, currently prefect for the Dicastery of the Eastern Churches.