Pope Francis appoints 21 new cardinals

 VATICAN CITY - - The pontiff has appointed 21 new cardinals, explaining that their provenance expresses the universality of the Church.

 The pope announced the appointments at the Angelus, a Catholic religious observance. He opened his address: “Dear brothers and sisters, I am happy to announce that on 30 September I will hold a Consistory for the appointment of new Cardinals.”

 He then explained that "The inclusion of the new cardinals in the diocese of Rome manifests the inseparable bond between the See of Peter and the particular Churches spread throughout the world.”

 The cardinals who will be able to elect the future Pope will, consequently, rise to 136, sixteen more than the number established by St. Paul VI and confirmed by St. John Paul II. There are three new cardinals from the Roman Curia: Robert Francis Prevost, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops; Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches; and Víctor Manuel Fernández, newly appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

 The list of cardinal electors also includes two Vatican diplomats: Emil Paul Tscherrig, apostolic nuncio (an ecclesiastical diplomat from the Holy See to another country) to Italy; and Christophe Louis Yves Georges Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the USA. In addition to Gugerotti, the other Italian cardinal who will enter a possible conclave is Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

 The other cardinal electors are: Stephen Brislin, archbishop of Cape Town; Ángel Sixto Rossi, archbishop of Córdoba; Luis José Rueda Aparicio, archbishop of Bogotá; Grzegorz Ryś, archbishop of Łódź; Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, archbishop of Juba; José Cobo Cano, archbishop of Madrid; Protase Rugambwa, coadjutor archbishop of Tabora; Sebastian Francis, bishop of Penang; Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, bishop of Hong Kong; François-Xavier Bustillo, bishop of Ajaccio; Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar, auxiliary bishop of Lisbon and organiser of World Youth Day to be held in that city at the beginning of August; and Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major of the Salesians. 

 The pope also chose three new cardinals who, due to being already over the age of eighty, will not enter the conclave: Agostino Marchetto, apostolic nuncio; Diego Rafael Padrón Sánchez, archbishop emeritus of Cumaná; and Luis Pascual Dri, confessor at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei in Buenos Aires.

  "Let us pray for the new cardinals," was the pope's invitation to the faithful, "that by confirming their adherence to Christ, the merciful and faithful High Priest, they may help me in my ministry as Bishop of Rome for the good of all God's holy faithful people".