There are strong rumors now that, at the end of today's General Audience, the Pope will announce a consistory for the creation of new cardinals. Rorate has been independently given this information. Andrea Tornielli has a more detailed story. Tornielli reports that there may be as few as six new cardinals, and that none of them will be Italian.
UPDATE:
According to today's Bollettino of the Vatican Press Office, the Holy Father has just announced the elevation of the following to the cardinalate in a Consistory to be held on November 24, 2012.
(24/10/12 at 1500H GMT: the Bollettino's announcement of the new cardinals disappeared shortly after its publication and has not come back. However, the link on the Vatican Information Service blog is still up. The announcement can also be seen at the end of the full Italian text of the Pope's Wednesday General Audience address for today.)
1. Archbishop JAMES MICHAEL HARVEY, Prefect of the Papal Household, whom the Pope plans to appoint as Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls:
2. His Beatitude BÉCHARA BOUTROS RAÏ, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites (Lebanon);
3. His Beatitude BASELIOS CLEEMIS THOTTUNKAL, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankar Church (India);
4. Archbishop JOHN OLORUNFEMI ONAIYEKAN, Archbishop of Abuja (Nigeria);
5. Archbishop RUBÉN SALAZAR GÓMEZ, Archbishop of Bogotá (Colombia);
6. Archbishop LUIS ANTONIO TAGLE, Archbishop of Manila (Philippines).
There are currently 116 cardinal electors. Two of them (Cardinal Arinze and Cardinal Martino) will turn 80 before November 24, leaving 114 cardinal electors on the morning of that day (barring any untimely deaths or unfortunate events). With the elevation to the purple of the six cardinal-electors, there will be exactly 120 cardinal electors -- the "quota" of cardinal electors set by Pope Paul VI -- by afternoon of that day. In only two weeks' time, the number of cardinal electors will again drop to 119, when Cardinal Scheid loses the vote upon turning 80 on December 8 of this year.
UPDATE:
According to today's Bollettino of the Vatican Press Office, the Holy Father has just announced the elevation of the following to the cardinalate in a Consistory to be held on November 24, 2012.
(24/10/12 at 1500H GMT: the Bollettino's announcement of the new cardinals disappeared shortly after its publication and has not come back. However, the link on the Vatican Information Service blog is still up. The announcement can also be seen at the end of the full Italian text of the Pope's Wednesday General Audience address for today.)
1. Archbishop JAMES MICHAEL HARVEY, Prefect of the Papal Household, whom the Pope plans to appoint as Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls:
2. His Beatitude BÉCHARA BOUTROS RAÏ, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites (Lebanon);
3. His Beatitude BASELIOS CLEEMIS THOTTUNKAL, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankar Church (India);
4. Archbishop JOHN OLORUNFEMI ONAIYEKAN, Archbishop of Abuja (Nigeria);
5. Archbishop RUBÉN SALAZAR GÓMEZ, Archbishop of Bogotá (Colombia);
6. Archbishop LUIS ANTONIO TAGLE, Archbishop of Manila (Philippines).
There are currently 116 cardinal electors. Two of them (Cardinal Arinze and Cardinal Martino) will turn 80 before November 24, leaving 114 cardinal electors on the morning of that day (barring any untimely deaths or unfortunate events). With the elevation to the purple of the six cardinal-electors, there will be exactly 120 cardinal electors -- the "quota" of cardinal electors set by Pope Paul VI -- by afternoon of that day. In only two weeks' time, the number of cardinal electors will again drop to 119, when Cardinal Scheid loses the vote upon turning 80 on December 8 of this year.
