Pope Francis Has Appointed About a Third of the Cardinals Eligible to Choose the Next Pope

Francis Benedict XVI John Paul II 44 of the 121 voting cardinals 56 21 Francis Benedict XVI John Paul II 44 of the 121 voting cardinals 56 21

The College of Cardinals is responsible for electing a new pope. Pope Francis’ third set of cardinals will receive their “red hats” at a ceremony on Saturday.

With the new additions, 44 of the 121 cardinals eligible to vote will have been named by Francis. But nearly two-thirds of the current cardinals were appointed by Francis’ predecessors, Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II, who were more theologically conservative and whose priorities were different from Francis’. The cardinals, however, do not all share the views of the pope who appointed them.

Cardinals Are Eligible to Vote Until They Turn 80

Francis Benedict XVI John Paul II Paul VI Age 50 Cardinals appointed by each pope and current age 55 60 65 70 75 Voting age cutoff 80 85 90 95 Can not vote 100 Francis Benedict XVI John Paul II Age 50 Cardinals appointed by each pope and current age 55 60 65 70 Voting age cutoff 75 80 85 90 95 Can not vote 100 Note: One cardinal appointed by pope Paul VI is not eligible to vote and is not shown on the chart.

Of the 121 cardinals eligible to vote, 32 will turn 80 in the next five years, including 25 who were appointed by Benedict XVI and John Paul II. This gives Francis or his successor the opportunity to make new appointments.

Francis Has Continued to Diversify the College of Cardinals

Share of cardinals appointed by each pope by continent of origin Africa Asia Caribbean Central America Europe North America Oceania South America 18% 13 4 2 38 11 4 13 Francis 9% 12 59 11 9 Benedict XVI Share of cardinals appointed by each pope by continent of origin Francis Benedict XVI 18% 9% Africa 13 12 Asia 4 Caribbean Central America 2 38 59 Europe North America 11 11 4 Oceania South America 9 13

Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has expanded the effort of recent popes to diversify the College of Cardinals to reflect the church’s global reach. Francis has added cardinals from Asia, Africa and Latin America – some from countries that had not previously had a cardinal: Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, Lesotho, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

The College of Cardinals Has Been Shifting to More Closely Reflect Who Is in the Pews

Voting members of the College of Cardinals on recent conclaves, and today.

The church nearly doubled the number of voting cardinals in the last century. But until recently, the College of Cardinals was dominated by Europeans, especially Italians, even as growth in the church shifted to the Southern Hemisphere.