Pope Francis further diversified the Catholic Church’s hierarchy on Sunday, naming 21 new cardinals from countries like Brazil, Ghana, Mongolia, and Singapore, among others. This new batch—the pope’s eighth since his election in 2013 and announced during his Sunday remarks—included 16 bishops younger than 80, allowing them to vote in a proceeding if a new pope were to be elected. The pope also named five other individuals older than 80, a choice made to recognize their service to the church. Among the promotions, which still included bishops from European countries such as Italy and France, was one American: Robert Walter McElroy, the bishop of San Diego, California. McElroy’s ascension was notable in its statement, as Francis seemed to pass over San Francisco’s archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone, who recently decided to deny Communion to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi due to her support for abortion rights.
