Pope Francis to appoint fourteen new cardinals

In the event of a conclave of cardinals to name a new pope, 11 of the new 14 being under 80 years of age would be eligible to take part

Pope Francis to appoint fourteen new cardinals

Pope Francis

Pope Francis announced today that he will hold a meeting of the Church's top council to appoint 14 new cardinals next month, including from Iraq, Pakistan, Madagascar and Japan.

In the event of a conclave of cardinals to name a new pope, 11 of the new 14 being under 80 years of age would be eligible to take part.

"I am happy to announce that on June 29 there will be a consistory meeting to appoint 14 new cardinals. Their origins reflect the universality of the church," Pope Francis said in an address in Saint Peter's square. Among the new cardinals will be Iraq's Louis Sako who has often met Pope Francis to discuss the situation in the war-torn country and the plight of its Christian community.

From Pakistan comes Joseph Coutts of Karachi with Desire Tsarahazana from Toamasina in Madagascar and Thomas Aquinas Manyo from Osaka in Japan. As well as having the key role of choosing a new pope, cardinals often also hold the highest administrative offices in the church.

Pope Francis, the first head of the church from Latin America is 81 and was named in 2013 after his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI stood down citing the effect of advancing age on his ability to carry out the exacting duties of the office.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels