Pope Appoints 21 New Cardinals Including Bishop of Hong Kong

Pope Francis has appointed 21 new cardinals, according to reports by the AP news agency on the 9th (local time).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Pope announced this during the Sunday Angelus prayer he led at St. Peter's Square. Cardinals hold the highest clerical rank in the Catholic Church after the Pope. Among the 21 newly appointed cardinals, 18 under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave that elects the next Pope.

The 21 appointees come from countries including the United States, Italy, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Portugal.

Among them, three, including V?ctor Manuel Fern?ndez, the Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Archbishop of Argentina, were recently appointed to key Vatican departments.

Regarding Bishop Stephen Chow from Hong Kong becoming a new cardinal, major foreign media have viewed this as a significant link, considering the Vatican's recent efforts to improve the situation of Catholic believers in China. Meanwhile, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the highest-ranking Vatican official in the Middle East, was also made a cardinal this time.

Their installation ceremony is scheduled for September 30.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.