To prepare for his succession, Pope Francis to pick 20 new cardinals today
Pope Francis, seated in a wheelchair following knee treatment
On Saturday, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis will name 20 new cardinals, picked from different corners of the world, in a bid to prepare for his eventual succession.
Reportedly, the ceremony will take place at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, as Pope Francis takes a step closer to decide the future spiritual leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics.
The ceremony on Saturday will be Pope's eighth since he took charge in 2013. Moreover, after the ceremony, he would have chosen 83 of the 132 cardinals required to elect a new Pope.
Of the 20 new cardinals, 16 will be under the age of 80 and eligible to act as electors while choosing the successor of the Pontiff.
Keeping up with the times, the Church has opted to show diversity in its pick by choosing two Africans and five Asians, including two cardinals from India.
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Currently, 40 per cent of the electors hail from Europe, while South America and Asua account for 16 per cent, followed by Africa at 13 per cent andNorth America at 12 per cent.
Read more:Listening to 'evil' committed at Catholic-run schools in Canada felt like slaps: Pope
As reported extensively by WION,the Pope has been battling poor health and on multiple occasions has indicated that he may step down, akin to his predecessor Benedict XVI.
WATCH:Pope Francis says he needs to slow down travel or consider retirement
Lately, thePope has been forced to use a wheelchair because of knee pain caused by a minor fracture and an inflamed ligament.
“I don’t think I can continue doing trips with the same rhythm as before. I think that at my age and with this limitation I have to preserve (my strength) a bit in order to be able to serve the Church, or decide to step aside.” the Pope recently informed the reporters.
Apart from his health, Pope Francis has had to face the wrath of public anger for the alleged crimes of the Church across the planet. The Argentine pontiff, during his trip to Canada, was forced toapologise for the abuse of indigenous children by the Church.
Read more:Canada: Weeks after Pope's visit, a prominent cardinal named in a sexual assault class lawsuit
(With inputs from agencies)
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