Cardinal Watch, 5 hours to go...

UCANews notes that the naming of new cardinals is "the strongest indication yet as to the direction his [Pope Benedict's] pontificate may take" in their summary article. (though it would seem to me that Pope Benedict already has taken a direction - still, what do I know?)

It has been interesting to watch the various local news outlets (most of which I am unable to follow) try to estimate the chances that their own Cardinabili have for receiving the red hat.

For instance, here's a Korean newspaper hoping.

And here's a U.S. Paper hoping (for O'Malley).

And heck - sometimes it goes both ways, with some folks claiming Cardinal hopes for an Archbishop and him responding "count me out."

Anyway, Catholic News Service also has a nice picture with a caption that I'm going to copy:

"CARDINAL’S GALERO – Cardinal Patrick O'Boyle, the first resident archbishop of Washington, is depicted in a detail for the mural "Saintly and Eminent Personages of the Americas" above the entrance of St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington, while his ceremonial tasseled red hat, called a galero, hangs from the ceiling. Expectations are running high in Rome that Pope Benedict XVI will hold a consistory to create new cardinals in March and will announce their names on Feb. 22. (CNS photo/Catholic Standard)" [source]

Let's see if we can't do a little research on possible U.S. Cardinabili in the next couple hours...