That’s exactly what he did on Jan. 12 when he announced a consistory to welcome 19 new cardinals, including Quebec’s Gerald Lacroix. It was his first opportunity since becoming Pope to name some of those who someday will vote on his successor. Keeping to the script he has been writing methodically over the past 10 months, Francis made selections that underline his insistence on a Church that is for the poor, more pastoral and less Vatican-centric.

Of the 19 new cardinals, 16 are under 80 years old and therefore eligible to vote in a papal conclave. These 16 cardinal-electors represent 12 countries from all parts of the world, with nine hailing from Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. They include the first cardinal ever from Haiti and only the second from Burkino Faso, two of the poorest nations on Earth.

Historically, the College of Cardinals has been top heavy with members from wealthy Western nations. That won’t change overnight. But Francis’ first foray into cardinal-picking indicates he is serious about finally transforming, however slowly, the Church’s hierarchy so that it mirrors the population of a Church that now counts two-thirds of its members in the global south. As the Pope’s spokesman said, his selections of cardinals from Haiti and Burkina Faso “shows concern for people struck by poverty.”

So how does a new cardinal from Canada fit this changing pattern? As archbishop of Canada’s oldest diocese, Lacroix holds the title of Primate of Canada. Eight of the past 10 Canadian Primates, dating back to the 1870s, have been made a cardinal. No doubt that factored into the decision by Francis.

But Francis has proven to be no slave to tradition. He has a merciful vision for the Church that, above all other considerations, drives his decision making. In Lacroix he is getting a multilingual cardinal who devoted almost a decade to missionary work in Colombia. He would instinctively understand what Francis means when the Pope talks about pastors who smell like sheep and who should be building a Church for the poor. Francis is getting nine new cardinals from the developing world and a Canadian whose ministry evolved there.

In a letter sent to each of the new cardinals, Francis said cardinalship is “neither an honour or decoration” but is simply a service that requires “self-effacement and humility.” He told them to be joyful at their appointments but to avoid “any form of celebration contrary to the evangelical spirit of austerity, sobriety and poverty.”

That’s the type of Church Pope Francis seeks and the type of cardinals he wants to walk beside him.