Archbishop Onaiyekan Now a Cardinal

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

Benedict made the surprise announcement during his weekly general audience on Wednesday and said they would be elevated at a consistory Nov. 24. The nominations help even out the geographic distribution of cardinals, which had tilted heavily toward Italy.

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