Seventeen of ’em, as a matter of fact. And from the looks of things, his choices are going to change the direction of Roman Catholicism. Read Michael Avramovich’s evaluation.
Three Americans were among the new cardinals; one was the recently appointed archbishop of Chicago, Blaise Cupich, a man with impeccable liberal/progressive credentials. Another was Archbishop William Tobin of Indianapolis, a relatively small archdiocese never before considered important enough to be headed by a cardinal. The third American cardinal-designate is a former bishop of Dallas. Vatican observers have noted that all of the new cardinals reflected the preference of Pope Francis for liberal progressives over conservatives.