ECNETNews, New York, NY, Mon. Oct. 7, 2024: In a significant announcement, Pope Francis has appointed five Latin American Monsignors among 21 new Cardinals following his Sunday Angelus. The ceremonial Consistory for the creation of these new Cardinals is scheduled to take place in December 2024, coinciding with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Vatican.
The Pope, hailing from Argentina, noted that the Cardinal-elects represent a diverse array of regions, underscoring the universal nature of the Catholic Church. The Latin American Cardinal-elects include:
- Mgr. Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio, Archbishop of Lima (Peru)
- Msgr. Vicente Bokalic Iglic, Archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina)
- Msgr. Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador)
- Msgr. Fernando Natalio Chomalí Garib, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile (Chile)
- Msgr. Jaime Spengler, O.F.M., Archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil)
Pope Francis stated that these appointments “express the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God’s merciful love to all people on earth.” He emphasized the importance of the bond between the See of Peter and the global Church, urging the faithful to pray for the new Cardinals as they prepare to support him in serving God’s people.
The December Consistory will take place just prior to the opening of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope and will follow the conclusion of the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality. This follows the Pope’s earlier consistory held in September 2023, which occurred before the First Session of the Synod.
With the addition of these new Cardinals, the College of Cardinals will expand to 256 members, including 141 electors who will be eligible to participate in selecting the next Pope.
The remaining new Cardinals come from various regions around the world, including Japan, the Philippines, Serbia, Ivory Coast, and Iran, further illustrating the Church’s global outreach and mission.
