The Pope Names 22 New Cardinals

The Telegraph
January 6, 2012

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/8998039/The-Pope-names-22-new-cardinals.html

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be elevated to cardinal

During the Angelus blessing the Pontiff annonced the nomination of the new cardinals

The Pope has named 22 new cardinals – the so-called 'princes of the church', including prelates in such key posts as New York and Hong Kong and a large number of Italians holding major Vatican positions.

Cardinals are the

Pope's top advisers, the elite group of churchmen who will

eventually elect Benedict XVI's successor.

Of the 22, 18 are under the age of 80 – raising to 125 the number of cardinals

eligible to vote in the next papal conclave. Cardinals aged 80 and over are

not allowed to vote on the next pope.

The list includes two Americans: Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York and

Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

and the former archbishop of Baltimore.

The 84-year-old pope named 16 Europeans as cardinals, including seven

Italians. He also named Joao Braz de Aviz, a Brazilian who heads the Vatican

office for religious life; John Tong Hon, bishop of Hong Kong; and George

Alencherry, archbishop of the Syro-Malabar church in India.

The pope announced the names "with great joy" following an Epiphany

Mass that ended the Vatican's main Christmas celebrations. He said they will

be formally elevated at a Feb. 18 ceremony in Rome.

During the Mass, the Pope also ordained two new Vatican diplomats with the rank of archbishop, including an American, Monsignor Charles Brown, who is being sent to Ireland to heal the damage caused by the clerical sex abuse scandal.

However, Benedict once again passed over for cardinal Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, a major voice in the church demanding greater accountability from bishops to clean up the scandal.

The Vatican never explains the pope's choices for cardinal.