The title of Cardinal, conferred to Archbishop Lazarus, Heung-sik Yoo (70), Minister of the Congregation for the Vatican, was originally derived from the Latin word Cardo, meaning 'gateway', 'center', 'point of importance'. .
It means that he is a priest who plays a pivotal role in the church, like a hinge or stile that is indispensable when opening and closing doors.
The term cardinal, translated into Chinese characters, can also be translated as 'a high-ranking office (卿) of an institution that is a central part'.
He is also referred to as the 'Prince of the Church' or 'Bishop of Red' (紅衣Principal敎), referring to the fact that he wore a red uniform, meaning princes in the past.
According to Catholic history data, the title cardinal began to be used in the 5th century.
At that time, the 25 main churches of Rome were called Cardinals, and their chief priest was called Cardinal.
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Beginning in the 8th century, the title of cardinal was given to the bishops of the seven dioceses near Rome who were aide to the Pope.
They either assisted the Pope in conducting ceremonies or conducted ceremonies directly on behalf of the Pope.
It was in 1059 that Pope Nicholas II (reigned 1058-1061) granted the right to elect a pope.
It is orthodox that it was from this time that the position and status second to the pope in the Catholic hierarchy were consolidated.
The cardinal acts as 'advisor and collaborator of the Pope'.
The Canon Law (Article 349) also stipulates that 'to assist and support the Pope in the daily pastoral care of the universal Church'.
It was the College of Cardinals and the Council of Cardinals that institutionalized this.
First formed in the 12th century, the College of Cardinals is the highest advisory body to the Pope under canon law.
It is not unrelated to this unique role that most of the high-ranking officials, including the ministers of the nine congregations, which are the key administrative organs of the Holy See, are cardinals.
In keeping with this authority, all cardinals around the world, regardless of their country of origin, are entitled to Vatican citizenship and are treated with the utmost respect in international protocols.
The size of the cardinals has undergone a process of change over time.
From the 13th to the 15th century, the number usually did not exceed 30, but as the number increased over the years, Pope Sixtus V (reigned 1585-1590) in 1586 limited the number to 70 through a bull.
This quota was maintained until the middle of the 20th century, and was abolished by Pope John XXIII (reigned 1958-1963).
Cardinals are basically tenure.
However, he asks the Pope to resign when he reaches the age of 75 while holding the office of diocesan or pontiff.
In addition, as a cardinal, the right to vote in the 'conclave' (conclave for the election of the popes) is limited to those under 80 years of age.
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New Cardinal Yoo Heung-shik, as well as Cardinal Yeom Su-jeong (78), who was ordained by Pope Francis in 2014, also have the right to vote.
In the meantime, the number of cardinals with voting rights has been maintained at around 120, but changes are expected with the addition of new cardinals on this day.
Of the 21 new cardinals, 16 are under the age of 80, and the remaining five are either already 80 years old or will turn 80 next month and are effectively excluded from the conclave voting.
The Vatican News, the Vatican's state-run media, said that as of August, when the new cardinals take office, the number of cardinals worldwide will rise to 229, and 131 of them will have the right to vote in the conclave.
Among the cardinals with the right to vote, more than 80 were appointed during the reign of Pope Francis, making up the absolute majority.
They are generally progressive and are known to share much of the values of Church Reformation.
This is the background of observations that even if Pope Francis resigns immediately, the trend of changes that have been promoted, such as the financial and structural reforms of the Vatican, will be largely maintained.
Since his accession in 2013, Pope Francis is credited with trying to create a cardinal cardinal from a variety of countries, including Asia, Africa and Latin America.
During his papal reign, cardinals were produced in more than 60 countries, and among them, around 20 countries were the first to receive cardinals.
The European concentration, which has been customary, has also faded a lot.
It is analyzed that this reflects the will of the Pope to broaden the base of the church and to listen more to the voices of the marginalized regions.
This distribution of new cardinals is also in line with this trend.
If you look at the 21 new cardinals by region, Europe has the most with 8, with 6 from Asia, 4 from Latin America, 2 from Africa, and 1 from North America.