In a move that will add diversity to the leaders of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis selected 15 bishops who would be elevated to cardinals. He chose plenty of candidates who come from the smaller dioceses and have never served as cardinals.
Pope Francis specified the names of these 15 bishops during his January 4th Sunday Angelus address.
"As was already announced, next February 14 I will have the joy of holding a Consistory, during which I will name 15 new Cardinals who manifest the indissoluble links between the Church of Rome and the particular Churches present in the world," the Holy Father said.
The spokesman of the Vatican, Fr. Federico Lombardi, issued a statement about the Pope choosing bishops from smaller dioceses, giving the minority population more voice and leadership in the Catholic Church. Cardinals usually hail from big dioceses.
Fr. Lombardi said this was an important moment since these bishops will stand for the universality of the Church. It's "noteworthy", said the spokesman, that the soon-to-be cardinals do not come from the traditional "Cardinalatial Sees".
"The Cardinalate was considered almost 'automatically' connected to such sees," he said.
The Pope asked those who attended the service in St. Peter's Square to pray for the bishops.
Pope Francis added, "They represent so many bishops who, with the same pastoral solicitude, have given witness of love for Christ and for the people of God in particular Churches, in the Roman Curia, and in the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See."