What’s coming for the College of Cardinals?
The article outlines upcoming developments for the College of Cardinals. It highlights the scheduled conclave to elect the next pope. New cardinal appointments and potential reforms are discussed. The piece examines how these changes will affect the Church’s governance.
3 days ago
The College of Cardinals now sits at the canonical limit of 120 electors, a figure reached after the 80th birthday of Cardinal Fernando Filoni removed him from the voting roster. Pope Leo XIV, a canon‑law specialist, must decide whether to keep this ceiling, how to balance geographic representation, and which new prelates to elevate as many current electors approach retirement age. 1
The 120 voting cardinals were created by the three most recent pontiffs. Pope Francis appointed 99, Benedict XVI appointed 17, and only four date back to John Paul II. 1
European cardinals now comprise less than 37 percent of electors, down from over 50 percent at the end of John Paul II’s pontificate. Asian representation has doubled since 2013, while Africa has risen modestly and North America has slipped by two points. 1
Leo XIV has pledged strict enforcement of canonical norms, such as the retirement age of 75 for bishops, and has hinted he will apply the same rigor to the 120‑cardinal limit. He has not yet announced a new consistory, but indicated decisions will be made after a “global perspective” assessment, especially regarding appointments in Africa. 1
Names mentioned for possible elevation include the three recent prefects: Archbishop Filippo Iannone (Dicastery for Bishops), Bishop Anthony Randazzo (Legislative Texts), and Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín (Service of Charity). African candidates such as Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Cameroon may also be considered. 1
Leo XIV might revive the cardinal’s biretta for archbishops of major sees that lost it under Francis, including Los Angeles, Vienna, Paris, London, and Milan, or their successors. 1
Over 40 percent of the electors are already 75 or older, suggesting a substantial turnover in the next five years, whether through retirements, deaths, or new appointments that could keep the college at or above the 120‑member ceiling. 1
Investigate how cardinal appointments shape papal succession
Cardinal appointments shape papal succession in the Catholic Church primarily by configuring the membership, character, and internal structure of the College of Cardinals, since that body is the electoral college for choosing the Roman Pontiff. The pope’s freedom to select cardinals (with legal limits and norms) therefore affects not only who can vote in a conclave, but also the pastoral, doctrinal, moral, and cultural profile of those electors, and the way the College functions during vacancy and election.
The Church teaches that the Roman Pontiff “freely selects men to be promoted as cardinals” who meet specific spiritual and intellectual requirements. In particular, canon law requires that those selected are already ordained at least into the presbyterate, and are noted for doctrine, morals, piety, and prudence in action; if not yet bishops, they must receive episcopal consecration.
This matters for succession because cardinals are not merely honorary figures; they form the College charged with electing the Supreme Pastor. The apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis states that, “based on… canonical norms… [the election body] is made up of the College of Cardinals,” and that precise norms exist so the election can take place “as befits the office of utmost responsibility.”
So, when you ask how cardinal appointments “shape” succession, the most direct answer is: they shape the electorate—the set of persons who may vote for the next pope—by selecting men who already embody (or are judged likely to embody) qualities the Church seeks in leadership: sound teaching, moral integrity, prayerful life, and practical prudence.
While the pope selects cardinals, papal succession through election is governed by strict juridical structure. Universi Dominici Gregis explicitly confirms the principle that the right way the election will be carried out concerns “the body entrusted with providing for the election of the Roman Pontiff,” namely the College of Cardinals.
Not every cardinal necessarily votes. The same text confirms the norm that the electors are drawn from cardinals, with the important rule that those who have completed 80 years before the Apostolic See becomes vacant do not take part in the election.
Therefore, cardinal appointments can shape succession in at least two time horizons:
Universi Dominici Gregis also confirms that, in present circumstances, the universality of the Church is expressed by a College of 120 electors, while also noting that this is a maximum for the electors (with the 80-years rule retained).
Crucially, the text teaches that the Roman Pontiff has the right to define and adapt the manner of designating the successor, and that this right concerns the election arrangements for the Petrine succession.
In other words: cardinal appointments shape succession by changing the membership of the conclave electorate, but the Church also recognizes that the pope (within Church law) can adapt the electoral discipline to changing circumstances.
Cardinal appointments also shape succession by shaping the internal structure of the College—because the College is organized into different “orders” and offices that influence how the election process is carried out.
John Paul II’s homily on new cardinals explains how cardinal appointments historically grew from local Roman clergy election to the broader College, and how the College contains three groups: cardinal-bishops, cardinal-priests, and cardinal-deacons. It also explains that each member receives a “title” in Rome, so that Rome is, in a sense, “prolonged” into the universal Church, and the universal Church becomes present in Rome.
This symbolism is not trivial: it reinforces that the electors are not simply a random assembly of clerics; they are connected—through canonical structure—to the Roman Church and to universality.
Pope Francis’ Regarding the Office of Dean of the College of Cardinals emphasizes that the pope’s adaptations over centuries broadened and structured the College to assist the pope “in treating issues of the greatest relevance in the daily care of the universal Church.”
It also explains the singular role of the Cardinal Dean (and the Sub-Dean), who is called to exercise “a fraternal and fruitful presidency of primacy inter pares.” This indicates that within the College, leadership is not monarchy-like but within equality of brethren, structured for orderly governance.
Thus, cardinal appointments can indirectly affect succession by determining who is in the relevant canonical streams (e.g., episcopal order) and therefore who can come to occupy key internal functions relevant to election preparation and governance.
The Church explicitly links cardinal appointments and the College’s composition to the universality of Catholicism.
Universi Dominici Gregis notes that universality is expressed in the composition of the electors, whose members “come from every continent.”
John Paul II similarly describes the renewal of the Roman tradition through cardinal creation as significant for understanding the Church’s “double” character as local and universal at the same time, and he connects the College’s institution with a history of maintaining succession to Peter’s See while serving the unity of the Church.
In practice, when the pope appoints cardinals, he is effectively shaping—within Church law—the global representation, pastoral experience, and doctrinal outlook of those who could elect the next pope. Since the electors come from “very different cultures,” cardinal appointments therefore shape the context in which papal succession happens, including how different regions and experiences are represented in the decisive deliberation.
Cardinal appointments can also shape succession through the distinct canonical mechanism of reservation in pectore. Canon 351 provides that when the pope reserves the name of a person in pectore, that person is not yet bound by duties nor endowed with rights of cardinals until the name is published; after publication, the person assumes the same duties and rights, and has precedence from the day of reservation.
This affects succession in a subtle but real way:
Cardinal appointments shape papal succession mainly through three mechanisms grounded in Church law and teaching:
In short: by appointing cardinals, a pope is not “choosing the next pope” directly; rather, he is governing the constitution of the electoral body—the divinely protected mechanism by which the Church maintains Petrine succession through lawful election.