News Americas, New York, NY, Mon. October 7, 2024: Pope Francis has named five Latin American Monsignors among the 21 new Cardinals after his Sunday Angel. The consistory for the creation of new Cardinals will take place in December 2024, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, in the Vatican.
The Pope, originally from Argentina, emphasized that the elected cardinals come from different countries of the world, emphasizing the universal reach of the Catholic Church. The elected cardinals of Latin America are:
- Mgr. Carlos Gustavo Castillo MattasoglioArchbishop of Lima (Peru)
- Msgr. Vicente Bokalic IglicArchbishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina)
- Msgr. Luis Gerardo Cabrera HerreraOFM, Archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador)
- Msgr. Fernando Natalio Chomalí GaribArchbishop of Santiago de Chile (Chile)
- Msgr. Jaime SpenglerOFM, Archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil)
Pope Francis noted that these appointments “express the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God’s merciful love for all people on earth” and reaffirmed the deep connection between the See of Peter and the global Church. He asked the faithful to pray for the new Cardinals as they prepare to assist him in his ministry for the good of God’s people.
The December Consistory will come shortly before the opening of the Jubilee of Hope 2025 and after the end of the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality. This follows Pope Francis’ previous consistency in September 2023, held shortly before the first session of the Synod.
After the next Consistory, the College of Cardinals will grow to 256 members, including 141 electors entitled to vote at a future papal conclave.
The remaining new cardinals come from various parts of the globe, including Japan, the Philippines, Serbia, Ivory Coast and Iran, further reflecting the Church’s global mission.
