In a significant move to reshape the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis has announced the creation of 21 new cardinals from around the world. The announcement was made on October 6, 2024, during the Pope’s Sunday Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square. The new cardinals will be officially installed at a consistory on December 8, 2024, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The new cardinals hail from 18 different countries and represent all continents, reflecting the global nature of the Catholic Church. Here is the full list of the new cardinals:

1. Archbishop Frank Leo – Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, Canada
2. Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi – S.V.D., Metropolitan Archbishop of Tokyo, Japan
3. Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu – O.F.M. Conv., Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan, Belgian missionary bishop in Iran
4. Bishop Mykola Bychok – C.Ss.R., Eparch of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians, Ukrainian bishop in Australia
5. Monsignor Angelo Acerbi – 99-year-old retired Vatican diplomat
6. Archbishop Carlos Alberto Salcedo Ojeda – Archbishop of Huancayo, Peru
7. Archbishop Paulo Cezar Costa – Archbishop of Brasília, Brazil
8. Archbishop José Luis Falcão Florença – Archbishop of Crato, Brazil
9. Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells – Apostolic Nuncio to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland
10. Archbishop Joseph William Tobin – Archbishop of Newark, USA
11. Archbishop Arthur Roche – Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, former Bishop of Leeds, England
12. Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald – Former Prefect of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, England
13. Archbishop Piero Marini – Former Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Italy
14. Archbishop Giorgio Marengo – Prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
15. Archbishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan – Bishop of Hong Kong, China
16. Archbishop Virgilio do Carmo da Silva – Archbishop of Dili, East Timor
17. Archbishop Oscar Cantoni – Bishop of Como, Italy
18. Archbishop Anthony Poola – Archbishop of Hyderabad, India
19. Archbishop Paulo Cezar Costa – Archbishop of Brasília, Brazil
20. Archbishop Arthur Roche – Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, former Bishop of Leeds, England
21. Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald – Former Prefect of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, England

This consistory is Pope Francis’ tenth since his election in 2013, and it significantly increases the number of cardinals who will one day elect his successor. The diverse backgrounds and experiences of the new cardinals are expected to bring fresh perspectives to the College of Cardinals and the broader Church.

The announcement has been widely seen as a strategic move by Pope Francis to ensure a more inclusive and representative leadership within the Church, as well as to emphasize the importance of dialogue and peace in regions experiencing conflict.

The Catholic community worldwide eagerly awaits the consistory, which promises to be a historic and transformative event for the Church.

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