Pope Francis opened a two-day gathering with all senior officials this Monday, inviting cardinals from around the world. The gathering includes the most recently appointed electors who will participate in choosing the next pope this weekend. This format for the College of Cardinals has not occurred since 2015. Experts say the Argentine pope is taking another step to shape a future papal leadership aligned with his vision, a move many popes throughout Church history have not fully achieved.
Francis’s decision to convene such a meeting is unprecedented. Throughout the year, rumors circulated that he was weighing retirement due to health concerns, a possibility he and his closest circle have repeatedly rejected.
The new constitution, discussed at the summit, is the Praedicate Evangelium reform for the Roman Curia. This initiative, launched by the pope, went into effect last June after nearly nine years of work and has faced some hesitancy within the Church’s ranks.
With this latest wave of cardinal appointments, the pope declared there are 83 cardinal electors in the College, a number reflecting a broad, global representation distinct from earlier eras. Under John Paul II, the electors numbered fewer.
Pay attention to the peripheries of the world
The once-dominant European contingent among cardinals has shifted. Now 53 members represent Europe (40.1% of the total), 38 come from the Americas (28.8%), and 17 are from Asia and Oceania (18.2%). In total, 69 countries hold voting rights in the near-term assembly.
These changes illustrate Bergoglio’s ongoing effort to reshape the Catholic Church to reflect the so-called peripheries—regions where Christians face persecution and humanitarian crises persist. The new cardinals include an Indian archbishop who serves Goa and Damão, Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão; Virgilio do Carmo Da Silva, the first cardinal from East Timor; and Giorgio, the Italian missionary who oversees the governorate in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. At 48, Da Silva is the youngest cardinal eligible to vote.
Spain also added a new cardinal, increasing its representation to six: Fernando Vergez Alzaga, governor of Vatican City State and a member of an ultra-traditional group.
Priests from Singapore, Nigeria, Paraguay, South Korea, Colombia, and Brazil, among others, were elevated to the rank of cardinal. Together, the 132 cardinals hold voting rights for those invited to attend the upcoming conclave and related Vatican meetings.