FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis looks on, at a mass to open the Synod of Bishops in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - When Pope Francis appoints new Catholic cardinals, as he did on Sunday, the move is often described as the pontiff pushing to influence the group that one day will select his successor.
But while Francis, 87, has now named some 80% of the prelates who will choose the next pope, those who study the church say his choices - often of low-profile churchmen from distant countries, many of whom barely know each other - are not meant to smooth the way for a preferred heir.
