Pope Francis adds Naples archbishop to list of new cardinals

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis is adding another name to the list of Catholic prelates he will appoint as cardinals in December, the Vatican said on Monday.

Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, 61, is based in Italy's third largest city Naples and will join a cohort of 20 other senior churchmen announced by the pope last month.

A brief statement from the Vatican gave no reason for the addition to the list. In recent years, Francis has only announced the appointment of new cardinals during his weekly Sunday noon-time prayer in St. Peter's Square.

Cardinals are the highest-ranking officials in the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church beside the pope. At the pontiff's death or resignation, they are tasked with entering a conclave and choosing his successor.

Francis will install the new cardinals in a ceremony, known as a consistory, on Dec. 7. It will be the 10th consistory called by the pope since his election in March 2013 as the first pontiff from Latin America.

Battaglia, archbishop of Naples since 2020, joins a group coming from a wide array of countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Britain, Serbia, Japan Canada, Ivory Coast and Algeria.

One of the original appointees named by Francis on Oct. 6 has since decided not to become a cardinal.

Indonesian Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur told Francis he wanted "to continue growing in the priestly life," the Vatican said on Oct. 22. The Vatican has not provided further details.

There are currently 47 Italian cardinals out of a total 233 -- the largest single national grouping, reflecting Italy's continued importance within the Catholic Church -- with 13 of them under the age of 80, meaning they can enter a conclave.

Following Monday's announcement, five more Italians will receive their red hats next month, four of whom will be elector cardinals.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Crispian Balmer)