VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter
Joshua J. McElwee | Oct. 9, 2016
ROME
Pope Francis has again chosen to diversify representation in the most select body of Roman Catholic prelates, announcing Sunday that he will be creating 17 new cardinals from 11 different countries — with many coming from places never before included in the elite group.
Among those Francis has chosen for the role are also three U.S. bishops: Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin, and the newly appointed Vatican official Bishop Kevin Farrell.
Francis made the announcement of the new cardinals, expected in recent weeks, during his weekly Sunday address following the noon-time Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
Cardinals, sometimes known as the “princes of the church” and for their red vestments, are usually senior Catholic prelates who serve either as archbishops in the world’s largest dioceses or in the Vatican’s central bureaucracy. Their principal role is to gather in secret conclave after the death or resignation of a pope to elect his successor.
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