Vatican City, Oct 16, 2007 / 13:10 pm
Sources at the Vatican have informed CNA that Pope Benedict XVI will announce during tomorrow’s General Audience that he will convene a consistory to create new cardinals in November.
Currently there are 105 cardinals under the age of 80 that are a part of the College of Cardinals, which leaves 15 vacancies to reach the normal total of 120. This month the former Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano and the American cardinal Edmund Szoka will both turn 80, bringing the total number of open spots to 17.
The candidates considered likely to receive the red hat are the Archbishops of Sao Paulo, Odilo Scherer; París, André Vingt-Trois; Washington DC, Donald William Wuerl; Warsaw, Kazimierz Nycz; and of Genoa, the current president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference—Angelo Bagnasco.
According to traditional Vatican practice, the Prefect for the Congregation of Eastern Churches, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri; the Archpriest of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Angelo Comastri; the Governor of Vatican City, Giovanni Lajolo; and the head of the Vatican Library, Raffaele Farina should also be made cardinals.
In addition, Archbishop John Patrick Foley, the Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is expected to be raised to the level of cardinal in keeping with tradition.
The Italian daily Il Messaggero, also believes that the Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the German Archbishop Paul Joseph Cordes, the President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, will make the Holy Father’s list.
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