Archbishop Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston was elevated to cardinal on Wednesday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

"I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his kindness in appointing me, and for his trust in allowing me to be placed in the College of Cardinals," DiNardo said. "This is also very humbling and surprising. I promise him my fullest communion, loyalty and obedience."

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Video: Watch Complete News Conference Of DiNardo's Announcement

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Pope Benedict XVI named 23 new cardinals on Wednesday, including two Americans, the patriarch of Baghdad, and archbishops from five continents to join the elite ranks of the "princes" of the Roman Catholic Church.

Eighteen of the 23 are under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pontiff. Benedict said he would elevate the prelates at a Vatican ceremony Nov. 24.

DiNardo will be the first Roman Catholic archbishop in Texas to be elevated to cardinal. His nomination was something of a surprise and appeared to be an indication of Benedict's desire to reach out to the large Latino community in Texas.

DiNardo, 58, became chief shepherd of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in February 2006, when Pope Benedict XVI approved Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza's retirement.

"I believe that the Holy Father is honoring this local church of Galveston-Houston, its past and present bishops, priests, deacons, religious and faithful for their love and loyalty to Jesus Christ and their affection and communion with the sea of Peter," DiNardo said. "The Holy Father is also recognizing the great growth of the Catholic population in this archdiocese, in the state of Texas and generally in the southern part of the United States."

"I don't think they could have chosen anybody better than this guy," Catholic Phocian Park said. "He's really a humble guy, but he's very conscientious."

DiNardo was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on May 23, 1949, and was ordained a priest on July 16, 1977, in Pittsburgh, Pa. He serves on the Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and serves as the USCCB Advisor to the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

"I think his influence and his example, and now that he has been recognized as a cardinal by the Holy Father, I think that will inspire young men and women to also, as we might say, get on board and become a greater, more active part of the mission of Christ," Monsignor Adam McClosky said.

Park said DiNardo's new position will help him reach more people.

"He's strong and the Catholic education wants to expand that," Park said. "He's very strongly pro-life. I'm elated, just overjoyed."

DiNardo, who for six years worked at the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, was only named archbishop last year.

"I ask all members of this local church, and all the people of goodwill here, to pray for me and ask the Lord to help me as I continue to shepherd this local archdiocese and, at the same time, assume the title that increases my responsibility to work on behalf of the whole church and collaborate with the Holy Father in his immense responsibility as pope," DiNardo said.

There are several other U.S. archdioceses that usually have cardinals leading them, including Washington and Baltimore, but the pope did not elevate their archbishops.

"I still believe that one of the reasons (I was chosen) was the genuine confidence in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as a growing, dynamic presence in southeast Texas and the whole growth of the Catholic population of multiple cultures here in the southern part of the United States," DiNardo said.

Archbishop John Foley, a longtime Vatican official who was recently named grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, a lay religious community that aims to protect the rights of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land was the other American to be named cardinal.

Among the under-80 new cardinals are the archbishops of Paris; Mumbai, India; Nairobi, Kenya; Valencia, Spain; Barcelona, Spain; Monterrey, Mexico; Dakar, Senegal; Sao Paulo, Brazil; the primate of Ireland; and a handful of Italians.

In addition to the 18 electoral cardinals, Benedict named five prelates over age 80 who he said deserved particular merit, including the Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Emmanuel III Delly.

Delly has been outspoken about the need to protect minority Christians from Iraq's spiraling violence -- a concern voiced repeatedly by Benedict in recent months. Just this past Sunday, Benedict appealed for the swift release of two priests kidnapped in Mosul.

The Christian community in Iraq is about 3 percent of the country's estimated 26 million people.

Also named for commitment and service to the church was the emeritus archbishop of Parana, Argentina, Monsignor Estanislao Esteban Karlic. Benedict named another Argentine cardinal as well, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Eastern Churches.

Benedict said he had wanted to also name the elderly bishop of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg, Poland, Bishop Ignacy Jez, but he died on Tuesday, the eve of the announcement.

"We offer our prayers to him," Benedict said.

Several Vatican officials were named, including the German Monsignor Josef Cordes, who heads the Vatican's charitable works as president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum"; Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for Laity; and Italian Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, former Vatican foreign minister and current governor of Vatican City.

Rylko was a good friend of Pope John Paul II and was at his bedside when he died in 2005. Another new cardinal also had close ties to John Paul: Argentine Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Eastern Churches. Sandri was for several years the "voice" of John Paul, stepping in to deliver his speeches when the ailing pontiff was unable to finish them.

Wednesday marked the second time Benedict has named new cardinals. His first consistory was held in March 2006, and he said he hoped to name more in the future.

"There are other people who are very dear to me who because of their dedication in the service of the church surely warrant being elevated to the dignity of a cardinal," Benedict said. "I hope to have the opportunity in the future to show my esteem and affection for these people and to their countries in this way."

Cardinals have been the sole electors of the pontiff for nearly 1,000 years and it remains their most important job. For centuries, they have elected the pope from their own ranks, as they did on April 19, 2005, when they chose Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to be the next pope.

Following the Nov. 24 conclave, there will be a total of 202 cardinals in the College of Cardinals. Of them, 121 will be of voting age, one over the limit set by Pope Paul VI.

The following 18 new cardinals are under age 80 and thus eligible to elect a future pontiff:

Argentine Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches.
American Archbishop John Foley, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, a lay religious community that aims to protect the rights of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
Italian Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, governor of Vatican City.
German Archbishop Josef Cordes, who heads the Vatican's charitable works as president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum."
Italian Monsignor Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica.
Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for Laity.
Italian Monsignor Raffaele Farina, archivist and librarian of the Vatican's Apostolic Library.
Archbishop Agustin Garcia-Gasco Vicente of Valencia, Spain.
Archbishop Sean Baptist Brady, primate of Ireland.
Archbishop Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain.
Archbishop Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris.
Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, Italy, who is also the head of the Italian bishop's conference.
Archbishop Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal.
Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India.
Archbishop Francisco Robles Ortega of Monterrey, Mexico.
Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas.
Archbishop Odilio Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Archbishop John Njue of Nairobi, Kenya.

The five prelates who are over 80:

Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Baghdad.
Monsignor Giovanni Coppa, Vatican diplomat.
Archbishop Estanislao Esteban Karlic, emeritus archbishop of Parana, Argentina.
The Rev. Urbano Navarette, a Jesuit, former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University.
The Rev. Umberto Betti, a Franciscan, former rector of the Pontifical Lateran University.