The church's 24 new cardinals
will join a unique institution that has grown dramatically in membership
and has gradually been internationalized in recent decades.
Just as when it originated more than 850 years ago, the College of
Cardinals remains an all-male, all-clerical body that advises the pope.
Unlike the early days, however, its membership is no longer made up of
the resident clergy of Rome, but of prelates from many countries.
Following the consistory Nov. 20, the cardinals will number 203, a new
record. For centuries, the limit was 70 cardinals, a ceiling set aside
in 1958 by Pope John XXIII.
Other significant characteristics of the college can be seen in numbers:
-- The college is elderly. The average age of cardinals today is nearly
78, reflecting the fact that for many of them, the red hat is something
that arrives late in life. Pope Benedict XVI was not exactly
rejuvenating the college in his choice of new cardinals this fall: Their
average age is about 74.
Among cardinals eligible to vote in a conclave -- those under the age of
80 -- the average age is close to 73. Today there are only two
cardinals under the age of 60, and 82 cardinals over the age of 80.
-- The college is less Italian and more international. The College of
Cardinals was for centuries dominated by Italian clergy, and just 100
years ago, Italians made up more than half the membership. Those numbers
are down, although Italians still represent a relatively high 20
percent of the voting-age cardinals and 24 percent of the entire
college.
Cardinals today come from 70 countries on six continents. But while the
college's membership has more geographic variety, its center of gravity
has remained in Europe. That has been true even under recent popes: Pope
John Paul II named many cardinals from Eastern Europe; and of the 60
cardinals named by Pope Benedict, 35 have been European.
Today, Europeans represent 55 percent of the College of Cardinals and 51
percent of the voting-age cardinals. The global breakdown of under-80
cardinals among the rest of the world: Latin America 17.4 percent, North
America 12.4 percent, Africa 9.1 percent, Asia 9.1 percent, Oceania 0.8
percent.
-- The college has a Roman Curia streak. Members or former members of
Vatican agencies represent 31 percent of the voting-age cardinals, and
nearly 34 percent of the total membership in the College of Cardinals.
Pope Benedict has added significantly to these numbers, handing the red
hat to some 25 Roman Curia officials over the past five years.
-- The college still bears the imprint of Pope John Paul II. Popes shape
the College of Cardinals, but it takes time. When he died in 2005, the
late Polish pontiff had named a vast majority of living cardinals and
almost all of those who voted in the subsequent conclave. That legacy is
shifting, but gradually. Today, 59 percent of voting-age cardinals were
created by Pope John Paul II, and 41 percent by Pope Benedict XVI. (The
last voting-age cardinal named by Pope Paul VI, U.S. Cardinal William
W. Baum, turned 80 in 2006.)
-- The college has a strong U.S. contingent. With 18 cardinals, 13 of
whom can vote in a conclave, the United States is second only to Italy--
in numbers, if not in influence -- in the College of Cardinals. That
will undoubtedly continue as archbishops in places like New York and Los
Angeles receive the red hat over the next few years, and as other major
U.S. archdioceses go through a leadership transition.
-- The college embraces religious orders. At present, 24 of the
voting-age cardinals belong to religious orders. Although it's foolish
to speak of "blocs" of voters among the cardinals, the Salesians are
currently on top with five voters, three of them appointed by Pope
Benedict -- a fact that has not escaped observers in Rome.
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