THE CONSISTORY: The List

Seconds ago, in the setting of the General Audience on this feast of the chair of Peter, Benedict XVI announced that he would hold his first Consistory to create new cardinals on Friday, 24 March. The announcement was met with applause. The Pope called it opportune" to make the announcement on the Feast of Cathedra Petri, "becacuse the cardinals have the charge of sustaining and helping the successor of Peter," and their unique service of the whole church alongside the Pope.

The pontiff announced that he will hold to the fixed limit of 120 cardinals under the age of 80, and therefore able to elect a Pope. That figure was set by Paul VI in 1975, and ignored by John Paul II toward the end of the latter's pontificate.

In order of their placement on the biglietto, the cardinals-designate are:

• Archbishop William Levada, Archbishop-emeritus of San Francisco, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Archbishop Franc Rode, C.M., Archbishop-emeritus of Ljubljana, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
• Archbishop Agostino Vallini, Bishop-emeritus of Albano, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
• Archbishop Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino of Caracas
• Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales of Manila
• Archbishop Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux
• Archbishop Antonio Canizares Llovera of Toledo
• Archbishop Nicholas Cheong Jin-Suk of Seoul
• Archbishop Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. of Boston
  
• Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow
  
• Archbishop Carlo Caffara of Bologna
  
• Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B of Hong Kong

The Pope announced his intent to elevate three additional clerics who are above voting age to the College of Cardinals, in recognition of their service to the life of the church

• Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza de Montezemolo, Archpriest of St. Paul's Outside the Walls
  
• Archbishop-emeritus Peter Proeku Dery of Tamale, Ghana
• Father Albert Vanhoye, S.J., former secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission
  

And now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to open the champagne. In a month's time, I'm going back to Disney World.

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