21 new cardinals to reflect Catholic Church’s unity amid geographic expansion

[ad_1] Cardinals outside the Paul VI Hall. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA Vatican City, Dec 4, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA). The 21 new cardinals to be created by Pope Francis at the Dec. 7 consistory reflect the pontiff’s vision for a missionary Church that reaches out to the world’s peripheries. The group includes prelates from countries such as Cuba, Indonesia, and Angola, as well as Archbishop Wilton Gregory, the first African American cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church.…