New York archbishop named as cardinal

VATICAN CITY?? Pope Benedict XVI named 22 new cardinals Friday, 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'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.

Other new cardinals come from Berlin, Prague, Toronto and Florence, Italy.

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.

'Great joy'
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.

The 18 new cardinals under 80 are:

• Santos Abril y Castello, (Spanish), Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major
• George Alencherry, (Indian), Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church in India
• Giuseppe Bertello, (Italian), President of the Government of the Vatican City State
• Giuseppe Bettori, (Italian), Archbishop of Florence
• Jo?o Braz de Aviz, (Brazil), Prefect of the Congregation for Religious
• Domenico Calcagno, (Italian), President of the Apostolic Patrimony of the Holy See
• Francesco Coccopalmerio, (Italian), President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
• Thomas Collins, (Canadian), Archbishop of Toronto
• Timothy Dolan, (United States) Archbishop of New York
• Dominik Duka, (Czech), Archbishop of Prague
• Wim Eijk, (Dutch), Archbishop of Utrecht
• Fernando Filoni, (Italian), Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
• Antonio Maria Veglio, (Italian), President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Refugees
• Manuel Monteiro de Castro, (Portuguese), Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary
• Edwin O'Brien, (United States), Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
• John Tong Hon, (Chinese), Bishop of Hong Kong
• Giuseppe Versaldi, (Italian), President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
• Thomas Woelki, (German), Archbishop of Berlin

The four new cardinals over 80 are:

• Karl Becker (German), a priest and professor
• Prosper Grech, (Maltese), a priest and professor
• Lucian Muresan (Romania), an archbishop
• Julien Ries, (Belgian), a monsignor and professor

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AP reporter Daniela Petroff contributed from Vatican City

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45898681/ns/us_news/

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