Pope Francis creates 20 new cardinals who may choose successor, including Singapore’s William Goh
- After this weekend, Francis will have chosen 83 of 132 cardinals qualified to elect a new pope – the precise amount needed for any proposed name to pass
- Rumours are swirling that the pontiff might be preparing the way for his departure. At 85, Pope Francis is showing his age
Pope Francis named 20 new cardinals on Saturday, personally placing their new skullcaps on their heads as he reminded them that cardinals love the Catholic Church, regardless of whether they focus on big or small questions.
Naming the new cardinals gives Francis some influence over who his successor will be when he is no longer pope. Members of the College of Cardinals are allowed to vote on a papal successor so long at they are aged 80 or younger.
Sixteen of the 20 new cardinals meet that criteria. The entire college contains 226 cardinals, 132 of them who are currently entitled to vote.
After this weekend, Francis will have chosen 83 out of the 132 cardinals currently qualified to elect a new pope.
That is nearly two-thirds of the total and precisely the percentage needed for any proposed name to pass.
It’s the eighth group of cardinals named by Francis, who has been pope since 2013. Cardinals named by him are now in the majority, with all the other sitting cardinals having been named either by Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI or John Paul II, who died in 2005.