Pope Benedict Names 22 New Cardinals, Including New York's Timothy Dolan

By Christina Boyle
New York Daily News
January 6, 2012

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pope-benedict-names-22-cardinals-including-york-timothy-dolan-article-1.1001772

Cardinal-Designate Timothy Dolan speaking at St. Patrick's Cathedral about Pope Benedict XVI making an announcement that he would become a Cardinal.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be elevated to a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI.

Dolan will accept the prestigious title from the head of the Roman Catholic Church at a formal ceremony at the Vatican in Rome next month, the Archdiocese of New York announced Friday.

"I am honored, humbled and grateful ... but, let's be frank. This is not about Timothy Dolan," the Archbishop said in a statement.

"This is an honor from the Holy Father to the Archdiocese of New York and to all our cherished friends and neighbors who call this great community home.

"It's as if Pope Benedict is putting the red hat on top of the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty, or on home plate at Yankee Stadium, or on the spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral."

Dolan is among 22 new cardinals named by Pope Benedict from cities around the globe, including Hong Kong, Berlin, Prague, Toronto and Florence.

Cardinals are considered to be the pope's closest advisers and eighteen of the newly-appointed religious leaders, including Dolan, are under the age of 80.

This entitles them to enter the secret papal conclave to elect the new pope when Benedict dies.

"This is not about privilege, change of colors, hats, new clothes, places of honor, or a different title. Jesus warned us about all that stuff," Dolan said.

"No: this is about an affirmation of love from the Pope to a celebrated archdiocese and community."

Dolan became Archbishop of New York in Feb. 2009, taking over from Cardinal Edward Egan.

"This is wonderful news for the cardinal-designate and for the entire community of faith that he serves so well," Egan said in a statement.

The pope said he announced the names "with great joy".

Dolan held a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Ave. Friday morning before appearing on the "Today Show" sofa with NBC's Matt Lauer.

Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the former archbishop of Baltimore, was the only other American to be named a cardinal Friday.

With News Wire Services.