Pope Francis appoints 15 new cardinals

Pope Francis named 15 new cardinals Sunday, selecting them from 14 nations, including far-flung corners of the world such as Tonga, New Zealand, Cape Verde and Myanmar, to reflect the diversity of the church and its growth in places like Asia and Africa compared to affluent regions.

Other cardinals hail from Ethiopia, Thailand and Vietnam.

None came from the United States or Canada and only three European nations received new cardinals — Portugal and Spain in addition to Italy.

Francis told faithful in St. Peter's Square that the new batch of cardinals "shows the indelible tie with the church of Rome to churches in the world."

Five new cardinals come from Europe, three from Asia, three from Latin America, including Mexico, and two each come from Africa and Oceania.

With his picks, the Argentine-born Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, made ever clearer that he is laying out a new vision of the church's identity, including of its hierarchy. He looked beyond traditional metropolitan area for the "princes of the church" who will help advise him and elect his successor.