Pope Francis Names 15 New Cardinals

VATICAN CITY
Wall Street Journal

By DEBORAH BALL
Updated Jan. 4, 2015

ROME— Pope Francis nominated 15 new members of the College of Cardinals on Sunday, including new cardinals for Vietnam, Ethiopia, Mexico and Myanmar.

The 15 men are all under the age of 80, which makes them eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a future pope.

The majority of the new batch of cardinals is from the developing world, reflecting the Argentine-born pontiff’s efforts to rebalance the College of Cardinals toward countries where Catholicism is growing. There were no Americans among the new nominees.

The group is the second batch of cardinals appointed by Pope Francis. They will be elevated at a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Feb. 14.

The pontiff also nominated five cardinals emeriti, who won’t have the power to vote in a conclave. Such nominations are honorary.

Corrections & Amplifications

The cardinals will be elevated at a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Feb. 14. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the ceremony would take place on Feb. 24. (1/4/2015)

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