ROME
Wall Street Journal
By STACY MEICHTRY
ROME—Pope Benedict XVI named 22 new cardinals—including Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York and Edwin O’Brien, the former archbishop of Baltimore—refreshing the ranks of Roman Catholic prelates who one day will vote in the election of his successor.
Speaking to faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Friday to celebrate the Epiphany, the pope said he planned to elevate the prelates to the rank of cardinal during a Feb. 18 ceremony, known as a consistory.
As cardinals, the prelates will become “princes” of the church and close advisers of the pontiff. …
He has risen relatively quickly in the ranks. In the 1990s, he was rector at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. In 2002, he became archbishop of Milwaukee, which was then reeling from scandal caused by widespread allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests. In 2009, the pope appointed him to head the Archdiocese of New York, one of the most high-profile jobs in the American Catholic Church.
Vatican analyst John Allen said Archbishop Dolan’s media savvy, combined with his strong support for papal policies, have made him the Vatican’s “go-to guy” in the American Catholic Church, where he serves as head of the U.S. Bishops Conference.
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