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VATICAN CITY (AP) - New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan has been elevated to cardinal in a ceremony at the Vatican.

Dolan was one of 22 prelates formally welcomed into the elite group in the Roman Catholic Church in a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday.

Cardinals are the pope's key advisers and are members of the group that will eventually elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. The former Milwaukee archbishop is also president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Dolan smiled broadly as he approached the pope to receive his skullcap, biretta and ring, a day after he received a heartfelt papal thumbs-up for his animated speech to cardinals about spreading the faith.

According to a Vatican summary of the closed-door meeting, Benedict termed Dolan's remarks Friday "enthusiastic, joyful and profound."
      
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