Pope Francis announced on Sunday that he will create 21 new cardinals, including the archbishops of Tehran, Tokyo, and Toronto, at a consistory on Dec. 8.
The 87-year-old pope made the announcement from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square after reciting the Angelus prayer on Oct. 6.
- Archbishop Frank Leo, metropolitan archbishop of Toronto (Canada)
- Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi, SVD, metropolitan archbishop of Tokyo (Japan)
- Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv, archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan (Belgian missionary bishop in Iran)
- Bishop Mykola Bycok, CSsR, Eparch of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians (Ukrainian bishop in Australia)
- Father Timothy Radcliffe, OP, theologian (United Kingdom)
- Father Fabio Baggio, CS, undersecretary for the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development (Italy)
- Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad, official of the Secretariat of State and organizer of papal trips (India)
- Bishop Baldassare Reina, vicar general of the diocese of Rome (Italy)
- Archbishop Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, metropolitan archbishop of Lima (Peru)
- Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur, OFM, bishop of Bogor (Indonesia)
- Archbishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic, archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina)
- Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, OFM, metropolitan archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador)
- Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib, metropolitan archbishop of Santiago de Chile (Chile)
- Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, bishop of Kalookan (Philippines)
- Archbishop Laszlo Nemet, SVD, metropolitan archbishop of Belgrade (Serbia)
- Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, metropolitan archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil)
- Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo, metropolitan archbishop of Abidjian (Ivory Coast)
- Archbishop Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, metropolitan archbishop of Algiers (Algeria)
- Archbishop Roberto Repole, metropolitan archbishop of Turin (Italy)
- Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Lithuania)
One of the cardinals-elect is already over 80:
- Archbishop Angelo Acerbi, apostolic nuncio emeritus (Italy)
Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has created 142 cardinals from 70 countries at nine consistories.
The last consistory to create new cardinals took place on Sept. 30, 2023. The new cardinals included Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong; and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Fifteen members of the College of Cardinals have turned 80 since the last consistory, thus losing their chance to participate in a future papal election.
After the December consistory, there will be 141 cardinal electors (barring the unexpected death of any of the cardinals) — 111 (79%) of whom have been appointed by Pope Francis.
By Courtney Mares
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