The College of Cardinals has grown more and more diverse over the past century, mirroring the regional demographic shifts of the global Catholic population. The 2013 election of Pope Francis (the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since Pope Gregory III was elected in 741), and his appointments of voting-age cardinals from more than a dozen different countries, suggest a desire among church leaders to make themselves more reflective of their membership.
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