John Thavis: It’s been almost three years since Pope Benedict named new cardinals, and anticipation is growing for an expected consistory sometime over the next few months. Today on the Vatican Report we’ll take a look at the College of Cardinals and its potential new members. I’m John Thavis, Catholic News Service Rome bureau chief.CG: And I’m Carol Glatz, CNS Rome correspondent. Most people expect the Pope to create about 20 new cardinals this fall. The number has a limit, because there can only be 120 cardinals under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave. By the middle of November, there will be at least 19 new vacancies among these cardinal-electors. Typically, the Pope also names a few cardinals over the age of 80. Often, they are elderly theologians recognized for their contributions to the Church.JT: So, who’s in and who’s out this time around? It’s not so easy to say. The red hat usually goes to heads of key Vatican departments and heads of major archdioceses around the world. But the number of candidates today far exceeds the number of openings. For example, there are nine Roman Curia officials who theoretically could be named cardinals, including U.S. Archbishop Raymond Burke. As head of the Vatican’s highest tribunal, Archbishop Burke’s job description says he must be a cardinal. But some of the other Curia candidates will simply have to wait.CG: We at CNS track cardinal candidates around the world, because we have to be ready for an announcement anytime. Our list of potential cardinals includes archbishops from London, Dublin, Toronto and Tokyo, as well as Sri Lanka, India, Congo and Uganda. Italy has some probable cardinals, but there are already 18 voting-age cardinals from Italy, far more than any other country. On the other hand, Brazil has only four, and the Pope is expected to name two or more Brazilians in this next round of appointments.JT: The College of Cardinals is not like Congress: there is no quota of cardinal seats based on Catholic population. Still, geographical balance is a consideration, and it may impact Pope Benedict’s choices this time around, In recent years, for example, the number of U.S. cardinals has reached a record high. There are presently 11 U.S. cardinals under age 80; only Italy has more. So while many people may expect the archbishops of New York, Washington and Baltimore to be named cardinals, it might not happen this time around.CG: Traditionally, most members of the College of Cardinals have come from Rome and Europe, and today, more than 50 percent of the cardinals who can vote in a conclave are European. That compares to 19 percent from Latin America, which is home to 40 percent of the world’s Catholic population. The remaining 31 percent of cardinals is split between North America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Those numbers are probably not going to change much, unless Pope Benedict pulls some big surprises this fall. I’m Carol Glatz,JT: and I’m John Thavis, Catholic News Service.

John Thavis: It’s been almost three years since Pope Benedict named new cardinals, and anticipation is growing for an expected consistory sometime over the next few months. Today on the Vatican...leggi tutto