Pope Francis has announced the names of the clergy he will raise to the rank of cardinals during his first consistory on February 22. This group consists of 16 people. In addition to them, on February 22, three other prelates who distinguished themselves in the service of the Holy See, but are already retired, will join the College of cardinals. Among them is Pope John XXIII's personal secretary, Monsignor Loris Francesco Capovilla.

The Pontiff said that the new cardinals will include 58-year-old Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, prelates from Italy, Great Britain, Argentina, Nicaragua, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Haiti, Korea, the Philippines, Canada and the United Kingdom. According to Pope Francis, the new cardinals " represent an example of strong and deep relations between the Roman Church and other world Churches." A large number of cardinals from developing countries, or countries that seem to be on the outskirts of the Catholic world, but who, according to Pope Francis, have a big role to play in the future life of the Church, draws attention to themselves. These countries are primarily Latin American and African.

All Vatican observers agree that the appointment of new cardinals marks a fundamental change in Vatican policy. By appointing his first group of cardinals, Pope Francis is taking a decisive step in the direction that his pontificate is focused on. First of all, the Pope believes that it is necessary to restore a balance between the Roman Curia and church structures in different parts of the Catholic world.

The Pope, who came, as he himself said, "from the end of the world", must cope with the process of globalization that unfolded in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Just like modernization for John XXIII and Soviet totalitarianism for John Paul II, the challenge for Pope Francis today is the powerful interweaving of economics, technology, and media communication that is already sweeping the planet.

Among the modern Christian Churches, the Catholic One has the most global character. And while there are vast areas (such as China and India) where it remains weak, it is present on all five continents, relying on an organization that manages to maintain its functionality against all odds. However, economic and technological globalization also requires a lot of effort to adapt: the marginalization of religion in the daily life of citizens and in the political sphere is becoming more and more obvious, especially in the most developed countries of Europe.

It is no coincidence that the reforms that the Pope is thinking about, already launched by the creation last year of a consultative body of eight cardinals from around the world, are aimed at overcoming the accumulated delay. In this new scheme, the Roman Curia should become a more operational structure that is able to ensure the unity of the planetary church network.

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