The Pope has appointed 20 new mostly non-European cardinals that will be on the board to elect his replacement. 

During a grand celebration in the Vatican City, the Pope made the appointments of the new cardinals, who include the first prelates from Myanmar, Tonga, and Ethiopia. Fifteen of the members are under 80, making them eligible to vote for the next pope. The other five are retired bishops who are over 80 and so cannot take part in a papal election.

For the first time, the Pope said he was determined to change the balance of power in the Church and make it more representative, according to the BBC. He also added that there are more non-European than European cardinals in the electoral body to reflect the Church globally.

The new cardinal members represent people from regions with different sets of issues. For instance, Soane Patita Paini Mafia from Tonga represents a community in the Pacific that is threatened with losing its home because of climate change. Cardinal Francesco Montenegro presides over an archdiocese that includes Lampedusa, the first European landfall for tens of thousands of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, according to BBC.

This is the second time Pope Francis has announced the appointment of new cardinals from a wide variety of countries. The last announcement was made in January, when the Pope named cardinals from 14 countries from every continent in the world.

Speaking on the appointment of the new cardinals, Pope Francis said, "Those called to the service of governance in the church need to have a strong sense of justice, so that any form of injustice becomes unacceptable," according to CBC.