Ill pope appoints 31 new cardinals

VATICAN CITY — Amid concerns about his frail health, Pope John Paul II appointed 31 cardinals Sunday, acting months earlier than expected and strengthening his influence on the group that will chose his successor.

The new so-called princes of the church include senior Vatican officials and diocesan leaders from 20 countries. They will receive their red hats at a ceremony known as a consistory on Oct. 21, a date chosen to coincide with the weeklong celebrations marking John Paul’s 25th anniversary as pope.

The only American on the list, Justin Rigali, is the archbishop-elect of Philadelphia.

The 68-year-old Rigali is a Los Angeles native who was previously archbishop of St. Louis. St. Louis Archdiocese Vicar General Monsignor Richard Stika described Rigali’s reaction as "humble excitement."

Rigali has championed two of the pope’s favorite causes: publicly condemning abortion and the death penalty.

Prior to Sunday’s announcement, the College of Cardinals had 164 members — 109 of them under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Of the eligible voters, all but five were named by John Paul.

The traditional maximum of voters in the College of Cardinals is 120. The latest appointments bring to at least 135 the number of cardinals under 80.

John Paul, who is 83 and suffers from Parkinson’s disease, announced the new cardinals from his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square. He read out the list with great difficulty, stopping to catch his breath several times before finishing each man’s title.

One of the 31 on the list was unidentified, perhaps because he works in a country where the church is oppressed.

The new cardinals include archbishops from Nigeria, France, Sudan, Spain, Scotland, Brazil, Ghana, India, Australia, Croatia, Vietnam, Guatemala, Hungary, Canada and Italy.