Rome ( CNN ) -- Pope Benedict XVI appointed six new cardinals in a special ceremony at St. Peter 's Basilica on Saturday , all of them from countries outside Europe . One of those elevated to the College of Cardinals was American Archbishop James M. Harvey , who currently serves as prefect of the papal household , according to Vatican Radio . The others were Bechara Boutros Rai , a Maronite patriarch from Lebanon ; Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal , an Indian archbishop and head of the Syro-Malankara Church ; Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja , Nigeria ; Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota , Colombia ; and Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila , Philippines . During the ceremony each received the traditional red hat , or `` biretta , '' gold ring and a document with the name of the cardinal 's titular church in Rome . The red of the cardinals ' hats is viewed as symbolic of the ultimate sacrifice they would make if required , that is , shedding their blood for their faith . More religion news on CNN 's Belief blog . The pontiff 's address focused on the diversity of the church and how it belongs to all the world 's peoples , according to Vatican Radio . `` What makes the Church Catholic is the fact that Christ in his saving mission embraces all humanity , '' he is quoted as saying . `` Situated within the context and the perspective of the Church 's unity and universality is the College of Cardinals : it presents a variety of faces , because it expresses the face of the universal Church . '' The College of Cardinals was established in 1150 . Its main role is to advise the pope and pick his successor . The new cardinals are all reportedly younger than 80 , meaning they could play a role in picking the next pope . Once a cardinal reaches 80 , he is no longer able to participate in the election of the pope or enter the secret conclave where cardinals gather when the time comes to select the next pope , typically upon the prior pope 's death . The pope appointed another 22 cardinals in February . Of those , a majority were European , with a handful from further afield . They included New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan , Baltimore Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien and Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins , as well as the Bishop of Hong Kong , John Tong Hon , and Major Archbishop George Alencherry from India . Pope 's book on Jesus challenges Christmas traditions . Catholic Church '200 years behind , ' Cardinal says before death . CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report .
Six non-European cardinals are appointed in a ceremony at St. Peter 's Basilica . American Archbishop James M. Harvey is among those elevated . The cardinals ' main role is to advise the pope and pick his successor . `` A variety of faces '' in the College of Cardinals represents an inclusive church , pope says .