Pope Francis, 85, on Sunday announced the selection of 21 new cardinals, including an Italian who leads the church in Mongolia, a decision that shows the pontiff putting his stamp again on the future of Catholicism. Of the 21 selected, 16 are under 80, making them eligible to participate in the next conclave that will determine Francis’ successor following his death or resignation.
The Argentine’s list also includes two Brazilians: Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, 71, from Santa Catarina, Archbishop of Manaus, and Paulo Cezar Costa, 54, Archbishop of BrasÃlia, from Rio de Janeiro.
Steiner, elected president of the Special Episcopal Commission for the Amazon in April, was ordained a priest by Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns (1921-2016), his cousin, according to a profile published on the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops) website. who was Secretary General from 2011 to 2019.
Costa is secretary general of the Latin American Episcopal Council. When Francisco came to Brazil for World Youth Day in 2013, he was vice president of the event’s organizing committee.
After August 27, the date that marks the officialization of the nominations, in the process known as the consistory, the pope will have chosen 83 of about 133 cardinal electors, increasing the chances that the successor in charge of the Catholic Church will be a man who reflects the his positions on key issues.
As new appointments are made, the presence of church leaders from the developing world deepens. On the other hand, the control that Europeans had over the College of Cardinals collapsed.
The new voters include Italian Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, now head of the church in Mongolia, a country that borders China, where the Vatican is trying to improve the situation of Catholics.
Others chosen are from Paraguay, Nigeria, India, USA, East Timor, Ghana, Singapore and France. Another three religious who will become cardinals come from South Korea, the United Kingdom and Spain. Instead of prioritizing archbishops from well-known cities who traditionally became cardinals, Francis has given preference to names of distant places where the church has little participation or is growing.
By indicating names in Singapore, Mongolia, India and East Timor, the pontiff seems to seek to increase the prestige and influence of the Catholic Church in Asia, a region of strong political and economic ascendancy.
The promotion of Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, California, carries strong significance because he has been an ally in Francis’ pastoral approach to issues such as environmental protection and a more welcoming stance toward gay Catholics.
In making McElroy a cardinal, the pope left out the conservative archbishops of San Francisco and Los Angeles, two major cities that have housed cardinals in the past.
