Four out of five cardinals that will elect the next pontiff were nominated by Pope Francis.
Of the 135 members of the College of Cardinals with under 80 years old to appoint the next pontiff, Francisco is responsible for the appointment of 108 of them.
This means that 80% of the votes of the next Conclave will be given by cardinals appointed by him.
The Conclave, which should take place in the next three weeks, will be “one of the most diverse we have ever had in church history,” Susan Timoney, a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, told the CNN .
During his 12-year-old Papacy, Francisco appointed more than 20 cardinals from countries that have never had a cleric in office, almost all of developing countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Papua-Nova Guinea and Mali.
As many of the cardinals appointed by previous popes turned 80 during the Francisco Papacy, this “generational change in the age of the cardinals” allowed him to appoint new members from different parts of the world, explained Timoney.
The teacher added that conversations between cardinal before the conclave are often crucial to determine who will be the next pontiff.
“That’s where the cardinals come together. And they talk about things like, ‘What are our priorities? What do we really need to do as a church?'” He said.
Given the number of cardinals that owe their positions to Francis, some speculated that this could lead the conclave to appoint a successor that will continue their pastoral priorities.
In addition, during his pontificate, Francisco reformed the composition of the body, making him more representative of the global church.
He ruled out the ancient unclear rule that bishops of certain dioceses (several of them in Italy) would be automatically made cardinal and instead granted red hats to bishops in parts of the world that never had them, such as Tonga, Haiti and Papua New Guinea.
Several of them are out of the Roman system, which makes it difficult to predict their vote.
This content was originally published in Papa Francisco named 108 of the 135 cardinals that will elect the next pontiff on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
