On Sept. 30, 2023, Pope Francis swore in 21 clergymen as new members of the College of Cardinals. The College is an important part of the church’s governance structure – each new member takes a formal oath during a ritual ceremony in the presence of present members of the College.
This assembly of cardinals, known as a consistory, is the ninth that Francis has held to create new cardinals since 2013, when he succeeded the retiring Pope Benedict XVI.
