Pope Francis is indicating he soon will add to the College of Cardinals, leading to speculation Chicago’s Archbishop Blase Cupich may be on that list.
The pope noted a possible date for what’s known as a consistory, on Sunday, Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent. He also indicated he may wait until the beginning of 2017.
On the plane returning from Azerbaijan on Sunday Francis said, “I need to choose. And I’ll do it privately, alone, as a priest, as a bishop, as Pope, but alone, that’s how I want to do it.”
"The list is long but there are only 13 spots," he added. "We need to think about to balance it out. But I’d like to show the universality of the Church in the cardinals’ college, not just the, let’s say, European center. A little bit of everywhere. The five continents, if we can.”
Sources with ties to the Vatican say “there is no longer a formal announcement” from the Vatican press office. Instead, Francis himself has released the names on Sundays after the noon blessing in St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis has not yet chosen an American Cardinal. Besides Cupich the other possible Americans believed to be on the wish list include Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell, recently appointed to a new position in Rome dedicated to the family and laity.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, who would become the country’s first Hispanic cardinal and Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput, who is considered far more conservative than Francis.
