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Most surprising is Francis' decision to exceed the maximum number of 120 electors set by Paul VI in 1975
By Nicolas Senèze,Rome | Vatican City
Seizing the element of surprise, Pope Francis on Sunday announced the names of 14 men he intends to make new cardinals.
Announcing the date for the consistory -- the June 29 Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul -- was in itself no surprise. And with 114 voters under 80 years old, it was more than likely that the pope would increase numbers in the conclave that will someday elect his successor.
But the actual number of the new cardinal-electors was a surprise. Although there were only six places to fill, Pope Francis will create 14 new cardinals, 11 of whom will be eligible to cast ballots in a conclave. In doing so he has exceeded the maximum of 120 electors set by Paul VI in 1975 and later confirmed by John Paul II. The latter did of course exceeded this limit several times, but by only for a period of months.
In this case, it won't be until July 31, 2019 — unless there are unexpected deaths — before the number of cardinal-electors returns to 120. This could also be an indication that Pope Francis intends to remain in his position at least until then.
Among the newly elected cardinals are a few surprises as well as some expected promotions. Archbishop Luis Ladaria, prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Angelo De Donatis, papal vicar for the Diocese of Rome, both hold positions traditionally led by cardinals.
In the case of Archbishop Angelo Becciu, substitute secretary of state since 2011, the promotion was in the cards for many years. Following his appointment, he will likely be moved from his current post since a Vatican cardinal is not usually in service of another.
Francis has repeatedly made reference to the predicament of Christians under persecution and so, predictably, a number of bishops from the outposts of the church have been elevated. Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako — who, as the Patriarch of Babylonia, enjoys the privilege of being at the head of the list — and Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi in Pakistan have been made cardinals.
In line with his universal vision for the church, Pope Francis also sought to appoint a number of less expected candidates as cardinals.
Among them is the Peruvian Jesuit Pedro Barreto, Archbishop of Huancayo (Peru). He is highly engaged in his country's ecological battle, notably with regard to the mining industry. Barreto is already involved in the 2019 Synod of Bishops assembly for the Pan-Amazon region for which the pope appointed him to the preparatory council.
It is a similar case for Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, who has worked tirelessly among Rome's poor and homeless, and António dos Santos Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Fatima in Portugal, where the pope travelled last year to visit the popular Marian shine. The latter's appointment demonstrates the pope's intention to challenge the traditional idea of there being certain positions around the world which inevitably get cardinals.
Fewer Europeans and Italians
Looking further afield to Madagascar, the pope did not select the capital-based Archbishop of Antananarivo but, instead, he chose the archbishop in the coastal Archdiocese of Toamasina.
Likewise, in Japan, Osaka's archbishop will receive the honour rather than Tokyo's. And even in Italy, the head of the southern Diocese of L'Aquila — which has not had a cardinal since the 16th century — will get the red hat instead of archbishops who lead the more prestigious sees of Venice and Turin.
Also noteworthy is that, unlike previous consistories, no new nationalities are represented for the first time in history among the cardinals who will be created on June 29. Rather, this selection restates the pope's desired continental balance that he set out to establish from the beginning of his pontificate.
Of course, with six new cardinals, Europe is still most prominent, but its share in the college is gradually declining as its cardinals grow older. Since the last consistory, Europe's share has dropped from 44 percent to 42.6 percent. Similarly, the Italian share remains under the 20 percent mark, which it fell below in 2017, despite three new eligible voters.
In fact, only Latin America (whose share has risen from 17.3 percent to 17.6 percent), Africa (from 12.5 percent to 12.8 percent) and especially Asia (from 12.5 percent to 13.6 percent) have seen their shares increase.
Percentage of voters named by Francis
The proportion of cardinal-electors appointed by Pope Francis has now reached 47.2 percent compared with 37.6 percent of those named by Benedict XVI, and 15.2 percent by John Paul II.
The age pyramid of the Roman Curia is such that, unless there is another consistory, we will have to wait until 2021 before the voters named by Francis exceeds the 50 percent mark.
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