Vatican sources last night played down media speculation that Pope John Paul II will tomorrow name up to 25 new cardinals, including the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Sean Brady.
A report earlier this week in the Rome daily, Il Messaggero, had stated that the Pope would announce the new cardinals during his "Angelus" address in St Peter's Square tomorrow, indicating that the Archbishop of Armagh was among the leading candidates for nomination.
However, a senior Vatican figure last night told The Irish Times that, while it was highly probable that a new consistory (assembly of cardinals) would be called for the end of next month, it was by no means certain that Dr Brady would be among those nominated.
Although the timing of a consistory and the appointment of new cardinals are the exclusive prerogative of the Pope, the probability that one will be called in the next month is indicated by the fact that by February 21st there will be no fewer than 25 vacancies in the 120strong body of Cardinal Electors.
In his 1975 Apostolic Constitution, Romano Pontifici Eligendi, Pope Paul VI decreed that cardinals over the age of the 80 were no longer eligible to vote in a papal conclave, while he limited the number of those eligible to vote to 120.
The fact that numbers are currently down and that the Pope last called a consistory in January 1998 make it highly probable that one will be called very shortly.
What is less certain is that the Archbishop of Armagh will be one of those nominated.
Ireland is currently without a vote in a papal conclave, given that Cardinal Cahal Daly is now 83 years old. That fact may help persuade the Pope to nominate Dr Brady.
However, as ever when it comes to a consistory, there is a long list of potential candidates for cardinal including the archbishops of important sees such as Lisbon (Policarpo), Lyon (Bill), Westminster (MurphyO'Connor), Washington (McCarrick), and New York (Egan), to name some of the most obvious.