Pope Francis gives his blessing to visitors in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican after the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer August 25. Photo: CNS/Vatican Media

(SE): Pope Francis announced a consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals from around the world to be held in the Vatican on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The pope made the announcement after his Angelus on October 6, Vatican News reported.

The consistory will fall before the opening of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope and after the conclusion of the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality.

Among the list of cardinals-elect is Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, the Philippines. He will be the 10th Filipino bishop to be made a cardinal. Four other Asians were named from Japan, India, Indonesia and Iran.

The list also includes:

Archbishop Angelo Acerbi, apostolic nuncio; Archbishop Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio of Lima, Peru; Archbishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic CM of Santiago del Estero, Primate of Argentina; Archbisohop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrrera, OFM of Guayaquil, Ecuador; Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib of Santiago de Chile, Chile; Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, SVD of Tokyo, Japan; Archbishop Ladislav Nemet, SVD of Beograd -Smederevo, Serbia; Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM of Porto Alegre, Brasil; Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo of Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Archbishop Jean-Paul Vesco, O, of Alger, Algeria; Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur, OFM of Bogor, Indonesia; Archbishop Dominique Joseph MATHIEU, OFM Conv. of Tehran Ispahan, Iran; Archbishop Roberto Repole of Turin, Italy; Auxiliary Bishop Baldassare Reina of Rome, formerly Vvce-gerent and, as of October 6, vicar general for the Diocese of Rome; Archbishop Francis Leo of Toronto, Canada; Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest coadjutor Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major; Bishop Mykola Bychok, C.SR of the Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians; Father Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe, OP, theologian; Father Fabio Baggio, CS, under secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development; Father George Jacob Koovakad, official of the Secretary of State, Responsible for Travel.