Pope Benedict will consecrate 23 new cardinals at a special ceremony at St Peter's Square tomorrow.The newly inducted cardinals will become members of the College of Cardinals, making a total of 201, with 120 under 80, and therefore young enough to vote in a papal election.
The newly appointed cardinals will receive a traditional ring, and red hat which symbolises the blood of the martyrs, during a special mass on Sunday.
42 of the total are Italian, half of them under 80.
13 Europeans join two North Americans, four Latin Americans, two Africans and two Asians in the second group of cardinals nominated by Pope Benedict since his election.
15 were inducted in March 2006, Benedict's first batch of cardinals.
The new cardinals include seven high-ranking Vatican officials, and 11 archbishops of key cities including Paris, Spain's Valencia and Barcelona, Sao Paulo, Mumbai and Dakar.
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