Cardinals created by Benedict XVI#18 February 2012

Benedict's first, second and fifth (last) consistories brought the number of cardinal electors to 120.

The 2010 consistory produced 121 electors, until Cardinal Bernard Panafieu turned 80 two months later on 26 January 2011. After the consistory of February 2012, there were 125 electors, and the count returned to 120 on 26 July after the 80th birthdays of Cardinals Rodolfo Quezada Toruño, Edward Michael Egan, Miloslav Vlk, Henri Schwery, and James Francis Stafford.

Image:Jean-Pierre Ricard (cropped).jpg (b. 1944), made a cardinal on 24 March 2006.]]

Image:Joseph Zen Ze Kiun.jpg (b. 1932, made a cardinal on 24 March 2006.]]

Pope Benedict XVI created new cardinals for the first time on 24 March 2006. He had announced the names of fifteen new cardinals-designate from eleven different countries on 22 February 2006.{{cite news|title=Benedict XVI Names 15 New Cardinals|url=https://zenit.org/articles/benedict-xvi-names-15-new-cardinals/|access-date=22 August 2017|work=Zenit|date=22 February 2006|archive-date=5 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705142325/https://zenit.org/articles/benedict-xvi-names-15-new-cardinals/|url-status=dead}}{{cite press release | language =it | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = 6 June 2018 |url = https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2006/documents/ns_lit_doc_20060324_titoli_it.html | date= 24 March 2006| title = Assegnazione dei Titoli e delle Diaconie ai Nouvi Cardinali }} Three belonged to the Roman Curia, nine headed a diocese, and two were bishops emeritus. One, Albert Vanhoye, was a Jesuit priest and theologian, not a bishop. Twelve of the fifteen were under 80 years old and eligible to vote in a papal conclave. With these new cardinals, Benedict limited the number of cardinal electors to 120, the maximum set by statute since 1973{{cite news|title=Announcement of Consistory for 15 New Cardinals|url=https://zenit.org/articles/announcement-of-consistory-for-15-new-cardinals/|access-date=22 August 2017|work=Zenit|date=22 February 2006|archive-date=23 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823070611/https://zenit.org/articles/announcement-of-consistory-for-15-new-cardinals/|url-status=dead}} and which John Paul II had at times exceeded. The appointments brought the total number of cardinals to 193.{{efn|183 cardinals at 2005 conclave minus 1 cardinal elected pope (Ratzinger) minus 4 cardinals who died before the 2006 consistory (Sin, Caprio, Scheffczyk, Taofinuʻu) plus 15 newly-appointed cardinals.}}

Image:Paul-Josef Cordes.JPG (1934-2024), made a cardinal on 24 November 2007.]]

Image:Cardinal Théodore Adrien Sarr 2.JPG (b. 1936, made a cardinal on 24 November 2007.]]

Pope Benedict announced the appointment of 23 new cardinals on 17 October 2007, scheduling a consistory for 24 November. Eighteen of the 23 cardinals were under 80. After the consistory, the College of Cardinals had 201 members, of whom 120 were eligible to vote in a papal election.{{cite news|title=Pope Names 23 New Cardinals|url=https://zenit.org/articles/pope-names-23-new-cardinals/|access-date=22 August 2017|work=Zenit|date=17 October 2007|archive-date=23 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823022042/https://zenit.org/articles/pope-names-23-new-cardinals/|url-status=dead}}{{efn|At the time of consistory announcement (17 October 2007), there were 121 cardinal electors and 202 cardinals in total including those to be appointed. However, the death of cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao on 8 November 2007 reduced those numbers to 120 and 201 respectively before the consistory.}}{{cite news | url = https://www.ncronline.org/news/complete-list-new-cardinals | access-date = 24 August 2017 | first = John L. | last = Allen Jr. | date= 17 October 2007 | title =Complete List of New Cardinals | work = National Catholic Reporter}}

He announced that he had intended to make Bishop Ignacy Jeż of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg, Poland, who died on 16 October, a cardinal as well.

Benedict announced the names of 24 new cardinals on 10 October 2010, scheduling a consistory for 20 November. Fifteen were Europeans, including ten Italians, seven of whom were senior members of the Roman Curia. Twenty were under 80 years old. This consistory brought the number of cardinals to 203, of whom 121 were eligible to vote in a conclave.{{cite news | work= National Catholic Reporter | url = https://www.ncronline.org/news/wuerl-and-burke-among-24-new-cardinals | access-date = 24 August 2017 | date = 20 October 2010 | title= Wuerl and Burke among 24 new cardinals | first = John L. | last = Allen Jr. }}{{cite news | work=Zenit | url = https://zenit.org/articles/benedict-xvi-names-24-new-cardinals/ | date = 20 October 2010 | title = Benedict XVI Names 24 New Cardinals|access-date = 24 August 2017 }}{{cite news | work = La Stampa | access-date = 24 August 2017 | language = it | url = http://www.lastampa.it/2010/11/20/blogs/oltretevere/concistoro-nuovi-operai-nella-vigna-del-signore-d1jZdmbvHw8G9YjNtHwIBJ/pagina.html | title = Concistoro: nuovi operai nella vigna del Signore | date =20 November 2010 | first = Giacomo | last = Galleazzi }}

Image:Procession of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ-Bruges; nederlandse Bisschop 50.JPG (b. 1953), made a cardinal on 18 February 2012.]]

Benedict announced the names of 22 new cardinals on 6 January 2012, with a consistory set for 18 February. Eighteen were young enough to be cardinal electors. Sixteen were Europeans, including seven Italians. Ten held Vatican offices. With these additions, the number of cardinal electors increased from 107 to 125, a majority of 63 of them named by Benedict.{{cite news | url = http://www.lastampa.it/2012/01/06/blogs/oltretevere/oltre-quota-7egF574E1GpVwZNsI8CZRL/pagina.html | work = La Stampa | language = it | access-date = 25 August 2017 | title = Oltre quota 120 | first = Giacomo | last = Galeazzi | date = 6 January 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180713023852/http://www.lastampa.it/2012/01/06/blogs/oltretevere/oltre-quota-7egF574E1GpVwZNsI8CZRL/pagina.html | archive-date = 13 July 2018 | url-status = dead }}{{cite news | url = https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/pope-names-22-new-cardinals-including-dolan-and-obrien | work = National Catholic Reporter | access-date = 25 August 2017 | date = 6 January 2012 |title= Pope names 22 new cardinals, including Dolan and O'Brien | first = John L. |last=Allen Jr.}} Though the number of cardinal electors exceeded the limit of 120, nine of them were due to turn eighty before the end of the year.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Previously, only Pope John Paul II's consistories in 2001 and 2003 had produced a larger number of electors, 135. The consistory of February 2012 brought the total number of cardinals to 213.{{efn|203 cardinals at 2010 consistory minus 12 cardinals who died before the consistory of February 2012 (Navarrete Cortés, Giordano, Vithayathil, Saldarini, García-Gasco Vicente, Sterzinsky, Świątek, Noè, Ambrozic, Deskur, Foley, Bevilacqua) plus 22 newly-appointed cardinals.}}

Image:John Tong Hon.jpg (b. 1939), made a cardinal on 18 February 2012.]]

On 24 October 2012, during a meeting of the Synod of Bishops, Benedict announced he would create six cardinals at a consistory on 24 November. At the time, there were 116 cardinal electors, with two set to turn 80 in the next month. The six new cardinals would bring that number to 120,{{cite news | url = https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/vatican-newsflash-pope-name-six-new-cardinals | work = National Catholic Reporter | title = Pope to name six new cardinals | date= 24 October 2012 | access-date = 24 August 2017 |first = John L. | last = Allen Jr. }} 67 of whom were made cardinals by Benedict. The November consistory brought the total number of cardinals to 211.{{efn|213 cardinals at the previous consistory minus 8 cardinals who died before the consistory of November 2012 (Sánchez, Daoud, Aponte Martinez, Quezada Toruño, Sales, Shan Kuo-hsi, Martini, Baldelli) plus 6 newly-appointed cardinals.}} Those named contrasted with those of the previous consistory, who had been criticized as "too Italian and too curial". Benedict said that "this little consistory" was meant to "complete" the earlier one "with a sign of the universality of the Church".{{cite news | work = La Stampa | access-date = 24 August 2017 | url = http://www.lastampa.it/2012/11/24/blogs/oltretevere/concistoro-gFMFnS2MRh0v39o8WSTR8N/pagina.html | date = 24 November 2012 | language = it | title = Consistoro | first = Giacomo | last = Galeazzi }}{{cite web | url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2012/october/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20121027_sinodo.html | author=Pope Benedict XVI | access-date=11 July 2018 | date= 27 October 2012 | title= Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI during the Final General Congregation of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops | publisher= Libreria Editrice Vaticana| quote= My intention, with this little Consistory, to complete the Consistory in February, precisely in the context of the new evangelization with a gesture of the Church’s universality, showing that the Church is the Church of all peoples, speaking all languages. She is always the Church of Pentecost; she is not the Church of a continent but the universal Church.}}

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