ROME — Pope Francis on Saturday installed 21 new cardinals, many of whom are key figures in his reform agenda: a Dominican preacher who acted as the spiritual father for Francis’ recent gathering of bishops, a Neapolitan “street priest” like himself, and a Peruvian bishop who has strongly backed his crackdown on abuse.
Francis’ 10th consistory to create new princes of the church is also the biggest infusion of voting-age cardinals in his 11-year pontificate, further cementing his imprint on the group of men who will one day elect his successor. With Saturday’s additions, Francis will have created 110 of the 140 cardinals under 80, thus eligible to vote in a conclave.
Francis appeared at the ceremony in the St. Peter’s Basilica with a significant bruise on his chin but presided over the ritual without apparent problems.
A Vatican spokesman said later Saturday that the bruise was caused by a contusion Friday morning, when Francis hit his nightstand with his chin. The pontiff, who turns 88 later this month, appeared slightly fatigued Saturday but carried on with the scheduled ceremony.
Francis has suffered several health problems in recent years and now uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain. In 2017, while on a trip to Colombia, he sported a black eye after he hit his head on a support bar when his popemobile stopped suddenly.
Francis’ consistory brings the number of voting-age cardinals well over the 120-man limit set by St. John Paul II. But 13 existing cardinals will turn 80 next year, bringing the numbers back down.
This consistory is notable also because the 21 men being elevated aren’t the same ones Francis named Oct. 6 when he announced an unusual December consistory.
One of Francis’ original picks — Indonesian Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur, the bishop of Bogor — asked not to be made a cardinal “because of his desire to grow more in his life as a priest,” the Vatican said. Francis quickly substituted him with Naples Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, known for his pastoral work in the slums and rough parts of Naples.
Five Italians
Battaglia is one of five Italians getting the red hat, keeping the once-dominant Italian presence in the College of Cardinals strong. Turin is getting a cardinal in its archbishop, Roberto Repole, as is Rome: Baldassare Reina, who on the same day Francis announced he was becoming a cardinal also learned that Francis had promoted him to be his top administrator for the diocese of Rome.
Francis, who is technically bishop of Rome, has been conducting a yearslong reorganization of the Rome diocese and its pontifical universities. Reina, who is also grand chancellor of the pre-eminent Pontifical Lateran University, will be expected to execute the reform.
Another Italian is the oldest cardinal: Angelo Acerbi, a 99-year-old retired Vatican diplomat. He is the only one among the 21 new cardinals to be older than 80 and thus ineligible to vote in a conclave. Francis’ picks on Saturday also include the youngest cardinal: Mykola Bychok, the 44-year-old head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Melbourne, Australia.
“Ukraine has been fighting for three years officially, and maybe unofficially from 2014, after the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula and two regions, Donetsk and Lugansk,” Bychok said. “… Maybe my weak voice will help to stop this war not only in Ukraine, but as well in other countries around the world.”
Yet another Italian selected is one of two Vatican priests who do jobs in the Holy See that don’t usually carry the red hat: Fabio Baggio serves as undersecretary in the Vatican development office.
