Cardinals created by Francis
Pope Francis () has created cardinals at seven consistories held at roughly annual intervals beginning in 2014, most recently on 28 November 2020. He has created 101 cardinals from 58 countries, 19 of which had never been represented in the College of Cardinals, and the first Scandinavian since the Reformation. Following the 2020 consistory, 73 of the cardinal electors had been appointed by Francis, 39 by Pope Benedict XVI, and 16 by Pope John Paul II. Each of Francis' consistories has increased the number of cardinal electors beyond the set limit of 120, as high as 128  in 2019 and 2020. The number exceeded 120 for almost a year following the 5 October 2019 consistory (until 29 September 2020), to date the longest such time period during Francis' papacy. Cardinal electors. Francis' consistories have all brought the number of cardinal electors above the maximum of 120 introduced by Pope Paul VI, reaching between 121 and 128 electors. The same was true for several consistories held by his predecessors: Paul VI himself had increased the number of cardinal electors to 134 in 1969, before he introduced the 120 limit in 1975. Pope John Paul II brought the number  as high as 135 in 2001 and 2003, while Pope Benedict XVI's highest was 125 in 2012. The February 2014 consistory brought the number of cardinal electors to 122, but the 80th birthday of Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Phạm Minh Mẫn and the death of Cardinal José da Cruz Policarpo reduced the number to 120 in less than a month. The February 2015 consistory increased the number to 125, but the 80th birthdays of Cardinals Antonios Naguib and Justin Francis Rigali, the announcement on 20 March that Cardinal Keith O'Brien would no longer participate in a conclave, and the deaths  of Cardinals Jean-Claude Turcotte and Francis George reduced the number of cardinal electors to 120 on 19 April, just two months after the consistory. The November 2016 consistory resulted in 121 electors, which fell to 120 with the 80th birthday of Cardinal Théodore-Adrien Sarr at the end of the month. The June 2017 consistory brought the number of cardinal electors to 121, and it declined to 120 when Cardinal Carlo Caffarra died ten weeks later on 6 September. In the June 2018 consistory, Francis increased the number of cardinal electors to 125, which resulted in a count above  120 for ten months. The October 2019 consistory increased the number of electors to 128, with the 80th birthdays of four electors reducing that number to 124 by mid-October. Almost a year after the 2019 consistory, the number of cardinal electors fell to 120, following the resignation of rights and privileges of a cardinal on 24 September 2020 by Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu and the 80th birthday of Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri on 29 September 2020. The November 2020 consistory raised the number of electors to 128 again, but their number returned to 120 on 7 November 2021, a little  more quickly than after the 2019 consistory. 22 February 2014. On 31 October 2013, Pope Francis announced plans to name new cardinals in a consistory on 22 February 2014. In December 2013, he said that rumors that he might name a woman cardinal were not to be taken seriously. He announced the names of 19 new cardinals on 12 January 2014. Sixteen were under the age of 80, eligible to vote in papal conclaves. Observers attempting to interpret Francis' approach to naming cardinals noted the absence of certain names, including the heads of the dioceses of Venice and Turin and  the Vatican Librarian and Archivist. Others noted a preference for clerics with pastoral experience and only a single theologian, Müller. John L. Allen said the choices made the February meeting the "Consistory of the Periphery", noting the "broad global distribution" of the new cardinals. Of the nomination of the archbishop of Perugia rather than those of more prestigious dioceses like Turin and Venice, "La Stampa" said: "Any career planners in the Church who had the path from the seminary to the cardinalship set out very clearly in their minds will have to think again." Pope Francis sent a letter to  each cardinal-designate that said: Those made cardinal at the consistory were: Pope emeritus Benedict XVI attended the consistory. He doffed his zucchetto when Pope Francis came down the nave of St. Peter's Basilica to greet him, and took a seat in a row with several cardinals using a chair the same as theirs. Loris Francesco Capovilla was granted a dispensation and did not attend the consistory. Prior to this consistory, there were 106 cardinals under the age of 80 and eligible to participate in the election of a pope, and the addition of 16 new cardinals under age  80 brought the total to 122, although another 10 were due to turn 80 in the remainder of 2014. Because the maximum number of cardinals allowed to participate in a papal conclave is set at 120, the number of cardinals below 80 is usually limited to 120, although that limit has occasionally been exceeded. The appointments brought the total number of cardinals to 218. 14 February 2015. On 11 December 2014, the Vatican announced that new cardinals would be created at a consistory on 14 February 2015. On 4 January 2015, Pope Francis announced the names of 20 cardinals-designate , including 15 who were under the age of 80. Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the list "confirms that the pope doesn't feel tied to the traditional 'cardinal sees'", like Turin and Venice, "which reflected historic reasons in various countries. Instead we have various nominations of archbishops or bishops of sees in the past that wouldn't have had a cardinal." The selections continued the pattern Pope Francis established the previous year, showing a "preference for diocesan bishops" and for the southern hemisphere. Of those under the age of 80, only one is a member of the Curia (Mamberti ); three are bishops rather than archbishops; four are the first cardinals from their countries (Cape Verde, Myanmar, Panama, Tonga) and others from a diocese that has not had one for decades (Agrigento, Italy, not since 1786; Ancona, Italy, not in more than a century; Montevideo, Uruguay, not since 1979; Valladolid, Spain, not since 1919) or never had one (Morelia, Mexico). Nine have been elected by their peers as president of a national or regional episcopal conference. These appointments brought the number of cardinal electors to 125, while two electors would turn 80 in April. The total number of cardinals reached  227 after the consistory. On 23 January 2015, Pope Francis advised each nominee how to respond to his appointment: "Accept it with humility. Only do so in a way that in these celebrations there does not creep in a spirit of worldliness that intoxicates more than grappa on an empty stomach, disorienting and separating one from the cross of Christ." Pope emeritus Benedict XVI again attended the consistory and was greeted by Pope Francis before and after the ceremony. The only new cardinal unable to attend was Archbishop José de Jesús Pimiento Rodríguez, whose health prevented him from traveling to  Rome. 19 November 2016. On 9 October 2016, the Pope announced that he planned to create new cardinals at a consistory on 19 November 2016, including 13 cardinals under the age of 80 and four over the age of 80. His selections continued to demonstrate his preference for the peripheries and places not previously represented in the College of Cardinals. Several are the first named cardinals from their countries. Of those who are under the age of 80, only Farrell is a member of the Roman Curia. In choosing Simoni, Francis named his first cardinal who was not a bishop ; Simoni, who was one of the appointments over age 80, received a papal dispensation from the requirement of episcopal consecration. The appointments brought the total number of cardinals to 228 and the number of cardinal electors to 121. Asked a year later at a meeting with Jesuits in Bangladesh why he named a cardinal from "a nation where there is such a small Christian community" (about 600,000, of which about 400,000 are Catholic), Francis said: All the new cardinals attended the consistory on 19 November except Lesotho Bishop Khoarai, who was 87 and unable to travel. For the first time  since his retirement Pope emeritus Benedict XVI did not attend. The new cardinals were given the rank of Cardinal Priest except for Zenari, Farrell, and Simoni, who were made Cardinal Deacons. Cardinal Nzapalainga became the youngest member of the College of Cardinals and the first born after the Second Vatican Council. Following the consistory ceremony, Pope Francis and the 16 new cardinals present visited the Pope emeritus as a group at his residence in Mater Ecclesiae Monastery and received his blessing. 28 June 2017. On 21 May 2017, Pope Francis announced a consistory for the elevation of five new cardinals  on 28 June. He adhered to his established pattern of appointing cardinals from the peripheries, including the first cardinals from El Salvador, Laos, Mali, and Sweden, the latter of whom will also be the first cardinal from Scandinavia. All five are under the age of 80. According to the "National Catholic Reporter", Gregorio Rosa Chávez is "believed to be the first auxiliary bishop to have been made a cardinal in at least the modern era." It has also been claimed that Rosa is the first parish pastor to be named cardinal in decades. With these new cardinals, the number of  cardinal electors reached 121 and the total number of cardinals amounted to 225. Following the consistory on 28 June, Pope Francis and the new cardinals visited Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who did not attend the ceremony. 28 June 2018. On 20 May 2018, Pope Francis announced a consistory for the elevation of fourteen new cardinals on 29 June, which was later changed to 28 June. The list of new cardinals included 11 young enough to participate in a papal election. Those named were an international group, as is typical of Francis, including prelates from Pakistan, Japan, and Madagascar, countries unrepresented  in the College since 1994, 2007, and 2010, respectively. He also named two members of the Roman Curia, an official of the papal household and another of the Diocese of Rome. With this consistory Francis again raised the number of cardinal electors to 125. The number of electors declined to 120 on 27 April 2019. The total number of cardinals reached 226 after the consistory. At the consistory, Sako addressed Francis on behalf of the new cardinals, thanking him for the concern he has shown for the small, persecuted Catholic population of the Middle East. Francis warned the new cardinals  against "palace intrigues that take place, even in curial offices". Sako did not receive the same red biretta as the others, but a rounder red "shash" traditionally worn by cardinals of the Chaldean Catholic Church. Francis and the new cardinals visited Pope emeritus Benedict following the consistory. 5 October 2019. On 1 September 2019, Pope Francis announced that he would hold a consistory to create thirteen new cardinals on 5 October, including ten who are young enough to participate in a papal conclave. This brought the number of cardinal electors to 128, eight more than the limit set by Pope  Paul VI, but often ignored. The number of cardinal electors returned to 120 on 29 September 2020. The total number of cardinals reached 225 after the consistory. The individuals named represent the international character of the Church, including prelates from Guatemala and Indonesia, as well as those with expertise on the care of migrants and relations with Islam; those from Luxembourg and Morocco were the first cardinals from those countries. Three of those named are Curial officials, including the only new cardinal of this consistory not already a bishop, Czerny, who was consecrated a bishop the day before the consistory . Following the consistory, Pope Francis and the new cardinals visited Pope emeritus Benedict, who spoke to them briefly and gave them his blessing. 28 November 2020. On 25 October 2020, Pope Francis announced he would create thirteen new cardinals, nine of them young enough to be cardinal electors, at a consistory scheduled for 28 November 2020. The list included the first cardinals from Brunei (Cornelius Sim) and Rwanda (Antoine Kambanda); the first Conventual Franciscan to become a cardinal in almost 160 years (Mauro Gambetti); the first African American cardinal (Wilton Daniel Gregory); the first Archbishop of Capiz to be made  a cardinal (Jose Fuerte Advincula); and the first Archbishop of Siena to be made a cardinal since 1801 (Augusto Paolo Lojudice). Enrico Feroci, a parish priest, was consecrated a bishop on 15 November. Mauro Gambetti's service as Custos ended on 12 November and he was consecrated a bishop on 22 November. Raniero Cantalamessa was granted a dispensation from the requirement that he be consecrated a bishop. Because of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, two of the new cardinals, Jose Advincula and Cornelius Sim, did not journey to Rome and instead viewed the ceremony via a digital link along with other  cardinals unable to travel. The other eleven cardinals-designate self-quarantined at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta in the days preceding the ceremony. A hundred other guests were allowed in the basilica. Everyone but Pope Francis and the servers wore masks. The kiss of peace exchanged between the new cardinals and the other cardinals in attendance was omitted, as were the customary receptions following the ceremony. Francis and the eleven new cardinals in attendance visited Pope emeritus Benedict after the ceremony. This consistory brought the number of cardinal electors to 128 and the total number of cardinals to 229 . Of the 128 electors, 73 had been appointed by Francis, 39 by Pope Benedict XVI, and 16 by Pope John Paul II. The number of electors fell to 120 on 7 November 2021 when Angelo Scola turned 80.