Pope Francis appoints Bishop of Ekwulobia in Anambra, 20 others as new cardinals

Pope Francis has appointed the Catholic Bishop of Ekwulobia, in Anambra State, Rev. Peter Okpaleke among 20 other new Cardinals.

Pope Francis made the surprise announcement, Sunday, while also disclosing the appointment of a cardinal based in Mongolia, the Far East.

The head of the Catholic Church named the new cardinals after his Sunday noon blessing to thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

By appointing cardinals in Singapore, Mongolia, India and East Timor, Pope Francis appears to be seeking to increase the Church’s prestige and clout in Asia, a growing economic and political powerhouse, just as the move is seen as elevating more men from the developing world to the high rank.

Sixteen of the 21 are cardinal electors under 80 and eligible to enter a conclave to elect his successor from among themselves after his death or resignation.

Eleven of the electors are from, or based in, countries outside Europe or North America.

Cardinals rank second only to the pope in the Church hierarchy and serve as his closest advisors at home and around the world.

Due to their historical power and influence, they are still called the Princes of the Church, although Francis has told them not to live like royalty and to be close to the poor.

List of the 21 new cardinals

Archbishop Arthur Roche (British) – Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik (South Korean) – Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy

Archbishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga (Spanish) – President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate for Vatican City State

Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline – Metropolitan Archbishop of Marseille, France

Bishop Peter Okpaleke – Bishop of Ekwulobia, Nigeria

Archbishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner – Metropolitan Archbishop of Manaus, Brazil

Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião di Rosário Ferrão – Archbishop of Goa and Damão, India

Bishop Robert Walter McElroy – Bishop of San Diego, California, United States

Archbishop Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva – Archbishop of Dili, East Timor

Bishop Oscar Cantoni – Bishop of Como, Italy

Archbishop Anthony Poola – Archbishop of Hyderabad, India

Archbishop Paulo Cezar Costa – Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasília, Brazil

Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr – Bishop of Wa, Ghana

Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye – Archbishop of Singapore

Archbishop Adalberto Martínez Flores – Metropolitan Archbishop of Asunción, Paraguay

Archbishop Giorgio Marengo (Italian) – Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

New cardinals over 80:

1. Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal – Archbishop Emeritus of Cartagena, Colombia

2. Archbishop Lucas Van Looy – Archbishop Emeritus of Gent, Belgium

3. Archbishop Arrigo Miglio – Archbishop Emeritus of Cagliari, Italy

4. Fr. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J. – Professor of Theology

5. Msgr. Fortunato Frezza – Canon of Saint Peter’s Basilica

One significant appointment in the rich world was that of Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, California, seen as a progressive.

By giving San Diego its first cardinal, Francis bypassed conservative archbishops in the larger cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles.

After the August 27 ceremony to officially install them, known as a consistory, Francis will have appointed about 82 of some 132 cardinal electors, increasing the possibility that his successor will be a man reflecting his positions on key issues.

By then the first pope from Latin America will have appointed about 63% of cardinal electors, further increasing their presence in the developing world, and again loosening the grip Europe had for centuries on the College of Cardinals.

It will be the eighth consistory since Francis, 85, was elected in 2013 and with each, he has continued what one diplomat on Sunday called “a tilt towards Asia,” increasing the likelihood that the next pope could be from the region.