Pope names 21 new cardinals, cementing mark on prelates who will elect successor

The new cardinals will get their red hats at a ceremony, known as a consistory, on December 8 (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Pope Francis has named 21 new cardinals, significantly increasing the size of the College of Cardinals and further cementing his mark on the group of prelates who will one day elect his successor.

Among those named by history’s first Latin American pope were the heads of several major dioceses and archdioceses in South America.