In naming cardinals, pope looks to developing world

Pope Francis released the names of new cardinals on January 12, making some surprising choices that largely confirmed the characteristics he wants in the Catholic Church: a greater focus on the poor, a bigger voice for the Global South and a reduced emphasis on hierarchy and its benefits.

The archbishops of Philadelphia and Los Angeles were not elevated to red-hat status—perhaps because both cities currently have cardinals under age 80, who are eligible to vote in the College of Cardinals. However, the United States, with 11 voting cardinals already, compared to merely five for Brazil, is hardly being slighted in electoral clout.

In Rome on February 22, Francis will distribute 19 red hats, with 16 going to bishops under the age of 80. The number includes bishops in Haiti and Burkina Faso, among the world’s poorest nations, South Korea and the Philippines (a second cardinal for that island nation).