Pope Francis is to create 17 new cardinals at a special ceremony on November 19, the day before the official close of the Special Jubilee of Mercy.
The pope made the surprise announcement to a crowd in St Peter's Square on Sunday.
Of the 17 new cardinals 13 will be under the age of 80 and so will qualify as electors in the event of a conclave to elect a new pope. The appointments include five new cardinals from Europe, four from North American, two from Latin America, three from Africa, two from Asia and one from Oceania. Further, seven countries - Central African Republic, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Lesotho and Albania - will get a cardinal for the first time ever.
The Europeans include two Italians: Monsignor Renato Corti, bishop emeritus of Novara, and Mario Zenari, who will also remain the Vatican's envoy to what the pope called "beloved and martyred Syria."
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