Rome, Italy (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI announced Wednesday that he would create 24 new cardinals -- putting his stamp on the body that will select his replacement when he dies.
The 24 senior Catholic clergy who will be getting their red hats next month include two from the United States, plus men from Egypt, Brazil, Poland, Italy, Zambia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka and Germany, among others.
Many of the incoming cardinals are already based in the Vatican as senior officials of Roman Catholic Church bodies.
With the new influx, Benedict will have created 62 cardinals since becoming pope in 2005. It's the third time he has created new cardinals.
Known as "princes of the church," cardinals are the highest level of the hierarchy below the pope -- and when a pope dies, cardinals under the age of 80 vote on his replacement.
When the new cardinals are created in November, there will be 121 eligible to vote for the next pope, according to a CNN count. The number will then decline steadily through 2011 as cardinals turn 80.
Pope John Paul II created 142 of the cardinals in office as of February of this year, and Pope Paul VI created four, according to Vatican records.
The Americans are Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and Raymond Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura -- the highest judicial authority in the church.
CNN
