Pope
Francis has named 15 new "cardinal electors" from 14 nations in a
move that further shifts the Catholic power center away from the developed
world. Only three come from European nations. None come from the US.
Deutsche Welle, 4 Jan 2015
Pope
Francis on Sunday named archbishops from countries as diverse as Myanmar,
Uruguay and Tonga to be inducted as cardinals at a Vatican ceremony on February
14, St. Valentine's Day.
Francis
told church members gathered in St. Peter's Square the new appointees came
"from every continent" and "show the indelible tie with the
church of Rome to churches in the world."
The 15 new
"cardinal electors" who are aged under 80 and therefore would be
eligible to vote for the next pope in the event of Pope Francis' resignation or
death, come from Italy, France, Portugal, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Vietnam,
Myanmar, Mexico, Thailand, Uruguay, Spain, Panama, Tonga and Cape Verde.
It's the
first time churchmen from Myanmar, Tonga and Cape Verdi have been appointed to
the College of Cardinals, according to Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's
spokesman.
Lombardi
said the pope "does not feel chained to the tradition, that the world's
major cities should automatically have a cardinal to head them."
Signs of
change
In another
sign that Pope Francis is looking towards change in the Catholic church which
counts 1.2 billion people among its members, only one of the new cardinals is
from the Curia.
The Roman
Curia is the central administrative bureaucracy of the Vatican and has come
under strong criticism from the pontiff himself.
Pope
Francis told the gathered crowd in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that on
February 12-13 he would lead a meeting of all cardinals, with the intention to
"reflect on the orientations and proposals for the reform of the Roman
Curia."
In
addition, Pope Francis named five other churchmen to become cardinals – however
they are older than 80 and would not be eligible to vote in the next pope.
Coming from Colombia, Italy, Mozambique, Argentina and Germany, they were given
the title to recognize their long service to the church.
se/ipj (dpa, Reuters, AP, AFP)
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