Pope Francis appoints 21 new cardinals

Pope Francis has appointed 21 new cardinals at a ceremony in St Peter's Square in the Vatican on Saturday, personally conferring the requisite crimson cap on most of the new church officials.

One of the cardinals, 95-year-old Luis Pascual Dri of Argentina, did not attend the event because of his advanced age.

The appointments to the Catholic Church's College of Cardinals, which elects new popes, effectively enable the pontiff to influence the election of his successor.

Eighteen of the 21 new appointees are under 80 years of age, and would therefore be eligible to vote in a possible conclave to elect a new pope. Vatican rules do not allow cardinals over that age to vote in a conclave.

This means that 99 of a total of 137 cardinals who would currently be eligible to elect the next pope have now been appointed by Francis, who himself is 86. However, this ratio may change again due to approaching birthdays.

Among those chosen by Francis are the Prefect of the Faith Victor Fernández of Argentina, as well as the Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Another is the Bishop of Hong Kong Stephen Chow Sau-yan. Chow's appointment is considered an important step because of the tense diplomatic relationship between China and the Holy See.

As in previous years, Francis has increasingly chosen bishops and archbishops from non-European countries to be named cardinals. This time, his focus is on clergy from Africa and Asia, including new cardinals from Tanzania, Malaysia, South Sudan, China and South Africa.

"Diversity is necessary, it is indispensable," Francis said in his homily on Saturday.