Pope Benedict
elevated 24 new Roman Catholic cardinals on Saturday, including 20 who
are under 80 and thus eligible to enter a conclave that will secretly
elect his successor after he dies or resigns.
Cardinals, the "princes of the Church," are the pope's closest advisers in the Vatican and around the world.
Here is a list of the new cardinals:
Cardinal electors, under 80 years old:
1. Archbishop Angelo Amato (Italian), prefect of the congregation for the Causes of Saints.
2. His Beatitude Antonios Naguib, (Egyptian), Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, Egypt.
3.
Archbishop Robert Sarah, (Guinean), President of the Pontifical council
Cor Unum, which
oversees the Vatican's charity activities.
4. Archbishop Francesco Monterisi, (Italian) Archpriest at Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
5. Archbishop Fortunato Baldelli (Italian), Vatican official dealing with the sacrament of penance.
6. Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke (American), prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, a top Vatican tribunal.
7. Archbishop Kurt Koch, (Swiss), president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
8. Archbishop Paolo Sardi (Italian), Vatican deputy chamberlain.
9. Archbishop Mauro Piacenza (Italian) prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.
10. Archbishop Velasio De Paolis (Italian), president of prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
11. Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, (Italian) president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
12. Archbishop Medardo Joseph Mazombwe, (Zambian) of Lusaka.
13. Archbishop Raul Eduardo Vela Chiriboga (Ecuadorean), of Quito.
14. Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, (Democratic Republic of Congo) of Kinshasa.
15. Archbishop Paolo Romeo (Italian), of Palermo, Sicily.
16. Archbishop Donald William Wuerl (American), of Washington DC.
17. Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis, (Brazilian) of Aparecida.
18. Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz (Polish), of Warsaw.
19. Archbishop Albert Malcom Ranjith Patabendige Don (Sri Lankan) of Colombo.
20. Archbishop Reinhard Marx (German) of Munich and Freising.
Cardinals over 80 years old:
1. Monsignor Jose Manuel Estepa Llaurens, (Spanish)
2. Monsignor Elio Sgreccia, (Italian)
3. Monsignor Walter Brandmuller, (German)
4. Monsignor Domenico Bartolucci, (Italian)
SIC: Reuters/INT'L