The Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis has unexpectedly named Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, 61, of Naples, as one of the new cardinals to be appointed at the upcoming consistory on December 7.
This addition brings the total number of newly appointed cardinals to 21, after the recent withdrawal of an earlier appointee.
Pope Francis’s decision to include Archbishop Battaglia was conveyed through a brief Vatican statement, without specific reasons for his selection.
Traditionally, the pope reveals new cardinal appointments during his Sunday address in St. Peter’s Square, making this announcement an unusual departure from protocol.
As senior leaders in the Catholic Church, cardinals serve as the pope’s closest advisors and, in a conclave following the pope’s death or resignation, are entrusted with electing his successor.
Archbishop Battaglia, who has served as the Archbishop of Naples since 2020, will now join this influential circle, representing Italy’s third-largest city.
The appointment positions Archbishop Battaglia alongside a diverse cohort of future cardinals from across the globe, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Britain, Serbia, Japan, Canada, Ivory Coast, and Algeria.
His addition follows Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Indonesia’s decision to withdraw, citing his wish to continue his priestly life, which reduced the total number of new cardinals to 20 prior to Archbishop Battaglia’s inclusion.
Italy, with its 47 cardinals, remains the largest national group in the College of Cardinals within the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church.
Of these, 13 are under 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave. The addition of Archbishop Battaglia and four other Italians in this consistory underscores Italy’s enduring influence in the church’s hierarchy.
The December 7 ceremony, known as a consistory, will be the 10th convened by Pope Francis since his election as the first Latin American pontiff in March 2013.
This solemn event in Vatican City will formally welcome the new cardinals into the College of Cardinals, further shaping the future direction of the global Catholic Church.- With Inputs from Vatican News
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