New Cardinals

Whispers reports:

Sometime over the next four weeks -- more likely toward month's end -- Benedict XVI is widely expected to announce his intent to augment the College of Cardinals with 20 or so new members. An announcement of a 28 June consistory (the second of this pontificate) would be in line with the Pope's stated wish to gather his cardinals more frequently than in the reign of John Paul II, not just to add to the number of the papal "senate," but also to take soundings from them and allow the "princes of the church" to get to know each other better, with an eye to the day when those under 80 will gather to elect his successor. Further adding to the building consensus of the tipped date, three of the current 108 cardinal-electors superannuate this month... not to mention that, as previously cited, late June marks the 30th anniversary of the conferral of the red hat on the newly-ordained archbishop of Munich and Freising, Joseph Ratzinger.