VATICAN CITY, Sept 28: Pope John Paul II nominated 31 new cardinals on Sunday, most of them under 80, and thus eligible to participate in the election of the next pope.

The nominations had been awaited with great interest. Pope John Paul II had decided on Friday to bring forward the nomination of new cardinals by several months.

Vatican observers said that the intestinal problems which caused Pope John Paul II to cancel his audience on Wednesday had a decisive influence on the move.

According to Italian media, the pope’s illness was far more serious than the Vatican had officially led the public to believe.

During his trip to Slovakia from September 11-14, the 83-year-old pope, who also suffers from Parkinson’s disease, had seemed frail.

The names of the new cardinals were read out during Sunday’s Angelus at Saint Peter’s square in the presence of thousands of Roman Catholic faithful.—dpa