POPE FRANCIS TODAY named 21 new cardinals, further cementing his mark on the group of prelates who will one day elect his successor.

The announcement today significantly increases the College of Cardinals.

There are currently 235 cardinals and those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in conclaves to elect a new Pope.

In a nod to the historic Synod under way at the Vatican this month, Pope Francis elevated Father Timothy Radcliffe to the rank of Cardinal.

The British theologian is one of the spiritual advisers for the Synod, which is taking place until 27 October and may suggest doctrinal changes to Church teaching.

Radcliffe has often publicly challenged the Church’s teaching on LGBTQ+ issues and publicly raised the issue during the first phase of the Synod last year.

Referencing something that came up in private Synod discussions, Fr Radcliffe told the public part the forum last October: “Many of us wept when we heard of that young woman who [died by] suicide because she was bisexual and did not feel welcomed.

“I hope it changed us,” he added.

File image of Father Timothy Radcliffe Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Elsewhere, five of the new Cardinals come from the Argentine pontiff’s native Latin America, while countries including Indonesia, Japan, Serbia, the Philippines and India will also be represented, according to a list published by the Vatican.

The move will be made official on 8 December, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception when the Catholic Church celebrates the doctrine that Mary was conceived without original sin.

“I am pleased to announce to you that on December 8 I will hold a consistory for the nomination of new cardinals,” Pope Francis declared as he delivered his Angelus prayer on St Peter’s Square today.

Even before today’s announcement, Pope Francis had already named the vast majority of the voting-age cardinals who will one day vote in a conclave to choose his successor.

According to Vatican statistics, before Sunday, 92 of the cardinals aged under 80 — and thus eligible to vote in a conclave — had been named by Francis, compared with 24 named by Pope Benedict XVI and six by St John Paul II.

Added to their ranks on Sunday were two Vatican officials who hold positions that do not usually carry with them a Cardinal’s rank: the official in charge of the migrants section of the Vatican development office, the Reverend Fabio Baggio, and the official who organises the pope’s foreign travels, the Reverend George Jacob Koovakad.

And at 44 years of age, Mykola Bychok, the Ukrainian current archbishop of Melbourne in Australia, is the youngest to be tapped for the high clerical mantle.