At the end of March, Pope Benedict XVI will hold the first "consistory", or meeting of cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. During the consistory, as is usually the case, the new "princes of the Church" will receive from the hands of the Pontiff red cardinal caps - birettes, as well as cardinal rings.

The names of the new cardinals are already known. Benedict XVI announced them a month ago during the traditional general audience in St. Peter's Square. There are 15 archbishops and bishops on this list. Three of them are over 80 years old, so, according to Vatican rules, they cannot participate in the election of a new Pope. The College of Cardinals now consists of 193 members, but many of them have already reached an advanced age.

As a result of the new appointments, the number of cardinal electors will reach a maximum of 120 people, which corresponds to the rules established by Pope Paul VI.

The cardinal will include former Archbishop of San Francisco William Levada, head of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose prefect before his election to the papacy was Benedict XVI himself. This congregation is particularly important because it protects the purity of the Catholic faith. Archbishop Franz Rode, a Slovenian-born prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which is responsible for the establishment, unification and liquidation of monastic and secular organizations, will also receive the Cardinal's cap.

Contrary to expectations, the heads of some Vatican departments will be left without a "red cap", for example, the Pole Stanislav Rylko, chairman of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the German Paul Josef Cordes, chairman of the charity organization "Cor unum" ("One Heart"), and even the Vicar General of Vatican City, the Italian Angelo Comastri.

Of particular importance is the elevation to the cardinal dignity of Bishop Joseph Tsen Tseqiong of Hong Kong. He is known for his fearless defense of the rights of believers not only in the former British colony, but also in the PRC. Archbishop Rohde said the following in this regard: "This choice can be regarded as a symbol of sympathy for the great Chinese people."

Among other things, something quite expected happened, as experts and analysts said earlier: Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, who served as secretary to the late Pope John Paul II for many years, will also be elevated to the rank of cardinal.

Among the new cardinals, in addition to the Bishop of Hong Kong, there are other representatives of Asia: Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales of Manila (Philippines) and Archbishop Nicholas Chong Jin-suk of Seoul, Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang (North Korea). Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, protopresbyter of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome, will be one of the new cardinals, who is already 80 years old. However, apparently, this is the so-called "wedding general "(or, let's say, "wedding cardinal"), to whom the new status will not bring any political dividends.

Thus, the cardinals will include eight Europeans, two Americans (one of them is Archbishop Sean Patrick O'Malley of Boston, whom John Paul II appointed administrator of the archdiocese after the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Lowe in connection with the" pedophile " scandal), one hierarch from Latin America, three from Asia and one from Africa.

Many observers are trying to interpret the motives that prompted Benedict XVI to include one or another candidate in the list of new cardinals. Some analysts perceive the modest place reserved for representatives of the Curia as an indication of the upcoming reform of the Vatican's administrative and state apparatus. Although it is certainly too early to make predictions, for example, about the possible change of Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

One thing is certain: Benedict XVI made a point of appointing hierarchs close to him, such as Archbishop Carlo Caffarra of Bologna, a member of the conservative "charismatic" Communione et liberatione (Communion and Liberation) movement. At the same time, one of the likely "candidates", Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, is not only not elevated to the rank of cardinal, but also removed from his post and sent by the nuncio (Vatican's diplomatic representative) to Egypt. Fitzgerald is known as a staunch advocate of dialogue with Islam, while the Pope advocates greater caution in this matter.

On the eve of the consistory, on March 23, a general meeting of cardinals will be held, during which Benedict XVI will listen to the views of the hierarchs of the Catholic Church on many burning issues. There are many indications that the Pope wants to turn the College of Cardinals into a kind of ecclesiastical "senate."

Already in February, when the list of new cardinals was first announced, Benedict XVI said:: "Cardinals are called to support the Successor of the Apostle Peter and help him in the fulfillment of his apostolic mission."

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