From the New York Times (link):
Pope Benedict XVI named his first new cardinals on Wednesday, 15 in all. They include the bishop of Hong Kong, an outspoken critic of China’s rulers, and Archbishop Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston, appointed two years ago after the sex abuse scandal there forced the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law.
The elevation of Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong, who despite his role as a critic has played a leading role in the effort to open diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican, is the latest in a series of signals from Rome that the Roman Catholic Church wants to play a greater role in tending to the spiritual needs of mainland China’s 1.3 billion people, Vatican experts said.
