Happy Friday friends,
And welcome to consistory weekend.
All the cardinals of the world (at least those able to travel) are descending on the Vatican ahead of tomorrow’s opening session, when the pontiff will create 20 new members of the college, the majority of them young enough to expect to vote in the next conclave, whenever that may be.
And boy have we got some consistory coverage to get you in the mood. Brendan Hodge has been running the numbers and turning the College of Cardinals inside out to answer every possible question you could have on who’s in, who appointed them, where they come from, what they eat for breakfast — the works.
For starters, here’s his analysis of the demographics of the college: People often talk about how Pope Francis has named many new cardinals from the “global peripheries,” so is it true? And if it is, is Francis breaking new ground or is he…
