Pope Names 15 Cardinals, Including Two Americans

We could say you can read this here today before you read it in the newspapers tomorrow, but it's after 8 p.m. and tomorrow is not that far away. Maybe if we had posted it early in the afternoon. But we digress.

Two Americans were among 15 Roman Catholic prelates named today to be cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI, his first choices for the group that will select his successor.

The Americans are Archbishop William J. Levada, the pope's successor as head of the Vatican office that upholds church doctrine, and Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley of Boston.

Twelve of those named, including both Americans, are under the age of 80, the cut-off age for voting for a new pope. The selections, read by the pope after his weekly general audience, were intended "to make up the number of 120 cardinal electors, as established by Pope Paul VI," Vatican documents quoted him as saying.

More here.