The new Cardinal and Archbishop of Madrid, Jose Cobo, in the second row (2r), at the act of appointment in the Vatican Basilica of St. Peter, on September 30, 2023, in Rome, Italy. Pope Francis celebrates a consistory in which he creates 21 new cardinals, among them, three Spaniards: the Archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo, the Rector Major of the Salesians, Ángel Fernández Artime, and the Bishop of Ajaccio (Corsica), Francisco Javier Bustillo, born in Navarra but linked to the French Church. With regard to Spain, with the new additions, the College of Cardinals now has a total of 15 Spanish cardinals, nine of whom will be electors, i.e., they will be able to elect the new Pope in a future conclave, and six non-electors. Photo by Stefano Spaziani / Europa Press/Abaca/Sipa USA
Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals, three of them Spaniards
(Vatican City) — A conclave will soon be scheduled to select the next leader of the Catholic Church, now that Pope Francis has passed away. As they did when Francis was elected in 2013, eligible cardinals from the College of Cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel to vote for a new pope. They’ll have no ability to leave or communicate with the outside world until a decision is made.
While any baptized Roman Catholic male can technically be elected as Pontiff, the Pope has traditionally been chosen from the College of Cardinals since the 14th Century. There are currently 17 cardinals in the United States. Italy, by comparison, has 51. Cardinals under the age of 80 vote by secret ballot until a candidate gets two-thirds of the vote. If black smoke rises from the chapel’s chimney after a vote count that means there’s no decision, white smoke indicates a new pope has been selected. The conclave will likely happen within the next few weeks.
