Archbishop Timothy Dolan to be elevated to cardinal Feb. 18

Archbishop Timothy Dolan is expected to be installed as cardinal with Baltimore Archbishop Edwin O'Brien at a mass at St. Peter's on Feb. 18, according to the Religion News Service.

Pope Benedict XVI  announced on Friday that Dolan, who turns 62 on Feb. 6, would be elevated to cardinal, as would 21 other churchmen from around the world.

Dolan's elevation was widely expected as his predecessor, retired Cardinal Edward Egan, will lose his vote in the papal conclave when he turns 80 next month. Rome has traditionally tried to have New York representation in the College of Cardinals for future papal election.

The biggest surprise was that most of the new Cardinals were from Italy or other parts of Europe and none were from Africa — the place of greatest growth for the church, said the Religion News Service.