By David Atangana
Pope Francis, Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church has appointed twenty-one new cardinals, but Cameroon has not made the cut.
A majority of the new Cardinals are from Africa and Asia.
Cameron, a Catholic-dominated central African nation was not included in the appointments after Cardinal Tumi, the lone Cameroonian Catholic cleric to have held the sit died a year ago
He made the announcement Sunday, July 9, 2023, during his noon prayers to pilgrims and tourists at St Peter Square in Rome.
According to media reports, “A ceremony to install them, known as a consistory, will be held on Sept. 30, the 86-year-old Pope Francis announced during his noon prayer to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square”
It will be the ninth consistory called by the pope since his election 10 years ago as the first pontiff from Latin America
The new cardinals come from countries including the United States, Italy, Argentina, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Portugal.
After the September consistory, there will be 137 cardinal electors, with about 73 percent of them chosen by Pope Francis.
All cardinals, regardless of age, are allowed to take part in pre-conclave meetings, known as General Congregations, giving them a say in the type of person they think the younger cardinals should choose as Pope
Cardinals rank second only to the pope in the Church hierarchy and serve as his closest advisers.
Due to their historical power and influence, they are still called the “Princes of the Church”.
