Cardinals created by Francis

Pope Francis (r. 2013–present) has created cardinals at nine consistories held at roughly annual intervals beginning in 2014, most recently on 30 September 2023. The cardinals created by Francis include 142 cardinals from 70 countries, 24 of which had never been represented in the College of Cardinals.^[a] His appointments include the first Scandinavian since the Reformation, the first from Goa since an episcopal see was established there in 1533, the first from Latin America's indigenous peoples, the first from India's Dalit class, and the first active head of a religious congregation.

Following the 2023 consistory, 99 of the cardinal electors had been appointed by Francis, 29 by Pope Benedict XVI, and 9 by Pope John Paul II.^[1] Each of Francis' consistories has increased the number of cardinal electors from less than the set limit of 120^[b] to a number higher than 120, as high as 137 in 2023,^[2] surpassing the record 135 set by Pope John Paul II in 2001 and 2003.^[3] Since 2 June 2023, two-thirds of the cardinal electors have been cardinals created by Francis.^[4] The September 2023 consistory increased that to about 73%.^[1]

Francis has shifted membership in the College of Cardinals away from Europe, making it all but certain that the conclave to choose his successor will be the first where Europeans do not account for a majority of electors. As of the conclusion of the 2023 consistory, of the 99 cardinals appointed by Francis who would be eligible to participate as electors in a papal conclave, only 37 (38%) are European. Some 52% of the electors were Europeans at the 2013 conclave that elected Francis, but only 39% are Europeans as of 30 September 2023.^[5][c]

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