Pope Benedict names 23 cardinals, 18 'electors'

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict named 23 new Roman Catholic cardinals on Wednesday, including 18 who will be members of a secret conclave to elect his successor.

The "cardinal electors", who are under 80 years old, come from Italy, Argentina, the United States, Germany, Poland, Spain Ireland, France, Senegal, India, Mexico, Brazil and Kenya.

The ceremony to install the cardinals, known as a consistory, will be held on Nov. 23, Benedict told tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square.

It was the second time since his election in April 2005 that the Pope has named new cardinals. The first was in March last year when he installed 15.

The new electors include Archbishop John Patrick Foley, a former Vatican official from the United States, Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, and Archbishop Paul Joseph Cordes, a German based in the Vatican.

Archbishop Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris, Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Bombay, Francisco Robles Ortega of Monterrey, Mexico, John Njue of Nairobi, and Sean Baptist Brady of Armagh, Ireland, will also be electors.

In addition, four Italians were among the group of electors.

The Pope named five men over the age of 80 who, because of their age, would not be able to enter a conclave. These positions normally honour men who have given long service to the Church.

Church law sets a ceiling of 120 on the number of so-called "cardinal electors". Benedict said he was bending the rule temporarily to have 121 cardinal electors for a period.

Benedict's predecessor John Paul bent the rule several times when he named cardinals. There is no limit to the number of cardinals over the age of 80.