Pope Francis on Sunday appointed 15 new cardinals from 14 differentnations such as Tonga, Cape Verde, Uruguay, and Myanmar in order to further practice the diversity of the church and monitor the growth of the religion in continents like Asia and Africa.

Most of the cardinals chosen are said to be from far-flung areas of the world such as Ethiopia, Sicily, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Vatican released an announcement saying that the new appointments are meant to show that there is a permanent tie between the Church of Rome and the other churches all over the world.

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According to John Allen, a Senior Vatican Analyst, in the latest addition of cardinals, ten of the new cardinals come from places that have never had any part in the voting of the next Pope. Pope Francis aims to spread the word and not just select new cardinals from the already top-heavy places that already have a lot of cardinals such as the United States, Allen added.

The new cardinals will be named on February 14 this year during a meeting. Allen adds that the new cardinals are important as they will set the tone in the Church of Rome and they are often called the "princes" of the Catholic Church.

This is the second time that the Pope has chosen new cardinals from different parts of the country and has not picked anyone from the United States.

According to a professor of church history from Kean University, Christopher Bellitto, Pope Francis has chosen the new cardinals from small communities as he wants to point out that local churches deserve to have a say at the big table.

In addition to the 15 newly-appointed cardinals, there have also been five retired archbishops and bishops who will be honored as cardinals on February 14. 

TagsPope Francis, new cardinals, diversity, Catholic Church, Vatican