Pope Francis has appointed 21 new cardinals – an expert on medieval Christianity explains what it...

On Sept. 30, 2023, Pope Francis swore in 21 clergymen as new members of the College of Cardinals. The College is an important part of the church’s governance structure – each new member takes a formal oath during a ritual ceremony in the presence of present members of the College.

This assembly of cardinals, known as a consistory, is the ninth that Francis has held to create new cardinals since 2013, when he succeeded the retiring Pope Benedict XVI.

The new appointments will take the membership of the College from 221 to 242, including retirees. Francis has ensured that the College includes clergy from around the world and is representative of the diversity within Catholicism.

As a specialist in medieval Christianity, I have studied the complex history of the College of Cardinals. Shaped by past challenges, it is a crucial institution – for its members will elect the next pope and help develop the policies the Catholic Church will follow in the future.