Off the beaten path: Pope looks far afield for new cardinals
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Choosing new members of the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis once again looked to countries and particularly to dioceses that were not and never had been represented in the body that advises the pope and bears responsibility for electing his successor.
[caption id="attachment_20658" align="alignright" width="250"] Cardinal-designate Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the new Vatican office for laity, family and life, is pictured in a Sept. 13 photo in Washington. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn) See POPE-CARDINALS and CARDINALS-FARRELL Oct. 10, 2016[/caption]
Announcing the names of 17 cardinals he will create Nov. 19, Pope Francis chose men from 14 nations, which will bring the total number of countries represented in the College of Cardinals to 79. When he announced the names Oct. 9, the college had members from 72 countries.
The cardinal electors -- the prelates under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope -- currently represent 57 nations; after the consistory to create new cardinals, the group will bring together men from 60 countries.
The 115 cardinal electors who entered the conclave in 2013 that elected Pope Francis had come from 48 countries. Eight years earlier, the group that elected now-retired Pope Benedict XVI came from 53 nations.
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