Pope Francis announced in October 2024 that Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo would join a new group of cardinals. Leo was formally created cardinal at a Vatican consistory on December 7, becoming the 18th cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church in Canada.
The announcement preceded the ceremony
Francis read an initial list of 21 names after the Angelus on October 6. The consistory was first described as taking place December 8, but the ceremony was ultimately held one day earlier.
The roster also changed: Indonesian Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur asked not to be made cardinal, and Francis later added Naples Archbishop Domenico Battaglia. Twenty-one men were installed at the December ceremony.
Leo represented the lone North American appointment
Francis Leo, often called Frank Leo, had served as archbishop of Toronto since 2023. His archdiocese is Canada’s largest and includes a highly diverse Catholic population.
The new cardinals came from many regions, including places that had rarely or never been represented in the College. Francis repeatedly used appointments to broaden the body beyond its traditional European centres.
What a cardinal does
Cardinals advise the pope, lead dioceses or Vatican offices and may receive assignments within the Church’s central administration. The title does not make every cardinal a Vatican employee or give one person control over Catholics in a country.
Their most visible collective responsibility is electing a pope in conclave. Cardinals younger than 80 on the day the papacy becomes vacant are normally eligible to vote.
The appointment changed a future conclave
Leo was 53 when installed, placing him well below the voting-age limit. Most members of the 2024 group were also electors, increasing the number appointed by Francis.
After Francis died in April 2025, the College met and elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. Cardinal Leo participated as one of the electors, giving the Toronto appointment an immediate role in Church governance.
Representation does not remove scrutiny
Canadian Catholics could see the appointment as recognition of Toronto and of Leo’s ministry. The wider Church still faced difficult questions involving sexual-abuse accountability, finances, declining participation in some countries, treatment of women and LGBTQ+ people, and division over reform.
A cardinal’s influence should therefore be evaluated through decisions, transparency and pastoral leadership rather than the symbolism of a red hat alone.
The global list reflected Francis’s priorities
The 2024 appointments included church leaders from Tehran, Belgrade, Tokyo, Abidjan and other locations. The geography emphasized what Francis described as the universality of the Church.
Diversity of nationality does not guarantee diversity of viewpoint, and the College remained entirely male because only ordained men could be appointed under current rules. Both realities belong in an accurate account.
Toronto gained responsibility, not a prize
The October announcement was sometimes framed as a personal honour. Within Catholic governance, it also imposed duties extending beyond the local archdiocese and potentially lasting through more than one pontificate.
The precise chronology matters: Leo was named as a cardinal-designate in October, created cardinal in December, and later joined the conclave that elected Francis’s successor. That record is more useful than leaving the article suspended at the announcement stage.
