Pope John Paul II has created 22 new cardinals in front of St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Only 20 of those honoured, however, were in attendance. Two others were created "in pectore" - in secret - for political reasons.

During the ceremony, a Chinese nun, Maria Chang, read a special prayer in Chinese "for all those who suffer because of their Christian faith."

One of the two confidential appointments was believed to be Su Zhimin, bishop of the Chinese city of Baoding who was arrested in October last year.

Those gathered were drawn from 13 countries, reflecting a Vatican policy to internationalise the inner sanctums of the Roman Catholic Church.

Their cities of origin range from Chicago, Toronto, Madrid and Vienna to Dar-es-Salaam and Taiwan.

The most important job for a cardinal is to elect a new pope, and most of the current cardinals were appointed by John Paul II.

The BBC's correspondent, David Willey, reports from Rome (3'48")

The elevations on Saturday at the ceremony known as a consistory increased to 123 the number eligible to vote; John Paul II has named all but 17 of them.

New cardinals are appointed every three or four years.

Reportedly, the known sentiments of the newly-appointed cardinals are in sympathy with the Pope's own by-the-book orthodoxy.

The new batch of cardinals includes several seen as "papabile" - potential popes. Among them are Vienna's new cardinal, Christoph Schoenborn, a highly respected theologian whom the Pope entrusted with preparing the church's new catechism, and Dionigi Tettamanzi of Genoa.

The new cardinals range in age from 53 to 87. With their elevation, the average age of voting cardinals is now 71. Those over 80 will not be entitled to vote in any papal election.

After the ceremony, several days of religious services, audiences, and receptions and banquets follow to honour the new appointees.

A missionary cardinal

John Paul II swearing in his new cardinals

One of the more unusual elevations is that of Adam Kozlowiecki. He is an 87-year-old Pole who survived Auschwitz and Dachau during WWII and became an African missionary.

He rose through the hierarchy there for 24 years, ending as archbishop of Lusaka, but in 1969 he handed over the role to an African prelate and became a missionary in Zambia.

His mission 200 km north of the capital, Lusaka, does not even have a telephone.

"In this eminent company I feel like a hippo in a china shop," Mr Kozlowiecki confided on the eve of his elevation.

"I don't know how to behave. I'm a simple missionary."

The cardinals publicly named

Dino Monduzzi, 75, an Italian bishop and prefect of the Papal Household
 

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