A STATISTICAL LOOK AT THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 21, 2001 (VIS) - The consistory scheduled for February 21 will be the eighth of Pope John Paul's 22-year pontificate and will bring to 154 the number of cardinals whom he has created.

In his first consistory on June 30, 1979, the Holy Father named 14 cardinals, in addition to one reserved "in pectore," whose name was revealed in 1991: He was Chinese Cardinal Ignatius Gong Pin-mei. The next six consistories were held on: February 2, 1983 (18 cardinals); May 25, 1985 (28 cardinals); June 28, 1988 (24 cardinals: The Pope had also named theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar when he made the announcement on May 29 but von Balthasar died on June 26, before the consistory); June 28, 1991 (22 cardinals); November 26, 1994 (30 cardinals), and February 21, 1998 (20 cardinals, plus 2 reserved "in pectore. The Pope had also placed the name of Archbishop Giuseppe Uhac on the list of future cardinals but he died before the Pope publicly announced the names on January 18).

The College of Cardinals on February 21 will number 178. Of these, 128 are cardinal electors in a conclave to elect a new Pope, that is to say, they are under the age of 80. John Paul II has named 87 percent of the total members of the College of Cardinals. To these figures must be added the two cardinals reserved "in pectore" in the 1998 consistory, whose names the Pope has said he would soon reveal.

Europe has 92 cardinals, of whom 60 are electors. The Americas have 50 cardinals (North America has 18 and Latin America has 32), of whom 39 are electors. Africa has 15 cardinals (12 electors), Asia has 17 (13 electors) and Oceania has 4, all of whom are cardinal electors.

The country with the largest number of cardinals is Italy with 41, including those to be created on February 21. The United States follows with 13, Brazil 8, Spain and Germany will both have 7 cardinals and Poland follows with 6.

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