Pope installs new cardinals, including first African-American

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday installed 13 new cardinals, including the first African-American to hold the high rank, further expanding the pontiff's impact on the group that will one day elect his successor.

The cardinals were installed in a ceremony, known as a consistory, that was markedly slimmed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peter's Basilica as the pope gave the men their ring and traditional red hat, known as a biretta.

In Saturday's consistory, Brunei and Rwanda got their first cardinals.

While Europe still has the largest share of cardinal electors, with 41%, it is down from 52% in 2013 when Francis became the first Latin-American pope.

The nine new electors come from Italy, Malta, Rwanda, the United States, the Philippines, Chile, Brunei and Mexico.