The world’s Catholic Church leader, Pope Francis, is slowly shaking up regional influence inside the Vatican as he shifts from picking European cardinals to those from his native Latin America, and also Africa, according to a new analysis.
Since becoming pope, 25 percent of his top selections to the College of Cardinals have come from Latin America. Francis is from Argentina.
But, according to a Pew Research Center analysis, he has watered down the influence of Europe, which traditionally holds most seats. Since becoming pope, he has limited his picks from Europe to 32 percent.
That has cut their numbers from 52 percent of the 212-member college that picks popes to 45 percent.
“Unless his reign is short, a Roman Catholic pontiff will appoint most of the men who choose his successor. But Pope Francis’ additions to the College of Cardinals since his election in 2013 also have served another purpose – tilting the leadership structure of the Roman Catholic Church away from its historic European base and toward the global south,” said Pew.
In effect, his selections are slowly coming into line with where the modern Catholic population lives, said Pew.
“Given that, as of 2010, 24 percent of the global Catholic population is from Europe, the continent remains heavily overrepresented among cardinals who are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote for a new pope. By this measure, the most underrepresented continent within the church’s leadership (even with Francis’ new picks) is Latin America, which, as of 2010, has 39 percent of the worldwide Catholic population and 17 percent of its cardinals,” said Pew.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
