Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his weekly general audience in St Peter's square at the Vatican in October (Picture: giulio napolitano / Shutterstock.com)
For only the second time so far in his papacy, Pope Francis will name new cardinals of the Catholic church, giving him an opportunity to concretize his influence over who will be chosen as his successor one day.
Francis will name the new cardinals at a February 14-15 ceremony, formally known as a consistory, Vatican spokesman Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi said at a briefing Thursday.
The Vatican spokesman said the pope did not say which prelates would be named cardinals, but the names are expected to be made public in mid-January.
In his first consistory creating new cardinals, held February 22, Francis picked 19 prelates for the honor who mainly hail from the "global south," including Haiti, Burkina Faso, and the Philippines.
Full Story: Vatican: Francis will make new cardinals in February
Source:National Catholic Reporter