Pope Francis appointed 80% of the cardinals choosing his successor
More than four out of five of the cardinals who are selecting the next pontiff owe their positions to Pope Francis.
Of the 133 members of the College of Cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to vote in the conclave, Pope Francis installed 108. That’s more than 80% of the cardinals.
The conclave is “one of the most diverse that we’ve had in the history of the church,” Susan Timoney, a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, told CNN ahead of today’s ceremonies.
During his 12-year papacy, Francis appointed more than 20 cardinals from countries that had never previously had a cardinal, nearly all from developing countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Mali.
Since many of the cardinals appointed by previous popes turned 80 during Francis’ papacy, this “generation shift in the age of the cardinals” allowed him to appoint new members from different parts of the world, Timoney said.
Some have speculated that this could lead to the conclave appointing a successor that will continue Francis’ pastoral priorities.
Pope Francis appointed most of the cardinals in the conclave
Of 252 cardinals worldwide, 133 are at the Vatican to vote for the next pope. With a total of 17, Italy is the country with the most elector cardinals.
Geographical distribution of the cardinals in the conclave
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