Pope Names Hk's Bishop Tong As Cardinal

RTHK
January 6, 2012

http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120106/news_20120106_56_809962.htm

Pope Benedict has named the head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, John Tong, as a cardinal.

Bishop Tong is one of 22 new cardinals around the world chosen by the pope.

He was appointed bishop after his predecessor, Joseph Zen, retired in 2009. He's the church's seventh Chinese cardinal.

Eighteen of the new cardinals are under 80, meaning they will be eligible to enter a secret conclave to elect a new pope from among their ranks after Pope Benedict dies.

With the new appointments, the pope has already chosen more than half of the "cardinal electors", who will some day choose a new leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics.

Speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square, the pope said he hoped the new cardinals would always be able to show their love for the Church with courage and dedication.