Ailing Pope John Paul on Sunday appointed 31 new cardinals, the elite "princes" of the Roman Catholic Church, putting perhaps his last stamp on the group that will one day choose his successor.
All but a handful were "cardinal electors" -- under 80 years old and therefore eligible to enter the conclave to elect a successor from among themselves after the current Pope's death.
The fact that only six were Italian increased the possibility that the next pope would also be from outside the country, like John Paul. He became the first non-Italian pontiff in 455 years when he was elected on October 16, 1978.
The possibility that the next pope may come from the developing world was boosted by new entries from Mexico, Nigeria, Sudan, Brazil, Ghana, India, Vietnam and Guatemala.
"The spectrum of new candidates reflects the universality of the Church with the multiplicity of its ministers," the Pope said after reading the list to pilgrims in St Peter's Square.
The new names also injected some younger blood into the College of Cardinals, arguably the world's most exclusive men's club. Of the cardinal electors under 80, five are in their 50s, 13 are in their 60s and eight are in their 70s.
The 83-year-old Pope said their elevation, known as a consistory, would be held at the Vatican on October 21, at the end of ceremonies marking his 25th anniversary.
The new cardinals included Justin Rigali of Philadelphia in the United States, George Pell of Sydney, Australia, and Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien of St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland.
They also included three men from places where the Church has suffered: Jean-Baptise Pham Minh Man of Vietnam, Gabriel Zubeir Wako of Sudan and Rodolfo Quezada Toruno of Guatemala.
Significantly, the list did not include Archbishop Sean Patrick O'Malley, recently called to head the Boston archdiocese in the wake of a child sex scandal. He had been widely expected to be made a cardinal. The Vatican gave no explanation.
SECRET CARDINAL
The pope also said one cardinal was "in pectore," or secret. Popes use this formula when naming the cardinal may compromise his position in a place hostile to religion.
The cardinals include top Vatican officials as well as prelates from Italy, France, Spain, Croatia, Hungary, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Poland.
It is the ninth time the frail Pope has appointed cardinals and it will give the pontiff perhaps his last chance to influence the group of men that will choose the next leader of the world's one billion Catholics.
Since the pope promotes prelates who agree with his teachings, the appointments will increase the possibility the next pontiff will also be a theological conservative who will not tamper with controversial rulings such as bans on contraception and women priests.
Under normal circumstances, only 120 "cardinal electors," can enter a conclave to elect a pope. They lose that right when they turn 80. But the Pope said he had decided to go over the limit of 120 cardinal electors, which he also did the last time he named cardinals in 2001.
After Sunday's announcement the number of cardinal electors rises to either 135 or 136, depending on the age of the secret cardinal and on his eligibility to enter a conclave.
Four of the new cardinals were elderly priests or monsignors the Pope said he wanted to honor because of their service to the Church. The total number of cardinals rises to 195.