Pope Francis on Sunday announced his choice of 21 new cardinals, set to be formally installed to the posts in September.
“Where they come from expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all people of the earth,” the pope said of the cardinals-elect, according to the outlet Vatican News.
Among the pope’s picks, which he announced in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly appearance, are other prelates from Jerusalem and Hong Kong, where Catholics are a minority.
Also on the list are the archbishops of Juba Stephen Ameyu, Bogotá, Columbia; Capetown, South Africa; Madrid, Spain; and Łódź, Poland, according to Vatican News.
Cardinals serve as advisers to the pope on matters of teaching and administration, including finances, and they’re also tasked with electing the successor to the sitting pope.
The cardinals-elect are set to be installed with a consistory on September 30, Pope Francis said in his announcement.
Eighteen of the churchmen are under 80 and will be able to enter an eventual conclave to choose the next pope. The other three, who are over 80 and too old to vote in a conclave, were named to thank them for their long service to the Church.