By Sarah Pulliam Bailey
The Washington Post
Pope Francis has named new members of the Catholic Church’s elite College of Cardinals, the group of church leaders who elect a new pope and tend to be his closest advisers.
Of Francis’ 17 new cardinals, the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic Church after the pope, three are Americans: Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin and Kevin Farrell, the outgoing bishop of Dallas.
Tobin made headlines last year when he openly defied Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s decision to try to block Syrian refugees from the state. After the 2015 attacks in Paris, Pence joined dozens of governors in objecting to the federal government’s program to resettle refugees from Syria in the Unites States, citing security risks. The governors were met with open challenges from bishops, including Tobin.
Tobin tweeted that he was “shocked” by the appointment.
Francis’ choice of cardinals reflects his emphasis on the global church. The bulk of the new cardinals come from outside Europe, with Francis choosing cardinals from Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. The one Italian elector was named is Francis’s ambassador to Syria, Cardinal-elect Mario Zenari.
Cupich was Francis’ first major U.S. appointment. It solidifies the pope’s planned direction of the church, given Cupich’s emphasis on mercy.
“These appointments of cardinals is one of those moments where you see Pope Francis is changing the face of the church,” said Massimo Faggioli, historian and theologian at Villanova University. “He is continuing his plan to make the church less dependent on Europe and, in general, less dependent on the past.”
Faggioli said it was noteworthy that Francis did not elevate Los Angeles’ Archbishop Jose Gomez or Philadelphia’s Archbisop Charles Chaput, seen as more theologically conservative within the church.
Francis said the 17 would be elevated Nov. 19.
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