Pope names six new cardinals

Pope Benedict XVI has named six new cardinals, adding prelates from Lebanon, the Philippines, Nigeria, Colombia, India and the United States to the ranks of cardinals who will elect his successor.

Benedict made the surprise announcement during his weekly general audience today and said they would be elevated at a consistory on November 24.

The nominations help even out the geographic distribution of cardinals, which had leaned heavily towards Italy.

The new cardinals are: Milwaukee native Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the Pope’s household; John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria; Ruben Salazar Gomez, Archbishop of Bogota, Colombia; Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines; Bechara Boutros Rai, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon; and Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India.