From CRUX:
When a pope creates new cardinals, he’s not only thinking about picking the man who could eventually be his replacement, but he is also making a statement about what direction he wants the Church to go.
Pope Francis’s class of 2019, set to graduate on Saturday, has a clear direction: A missionary Church that acknowledges the importance of interreligious dialogue. Of the 13 new cardinals, 10 are under the age of 80, enabling them to vote in a future conclave.