The last such elevation was 6 Cardinal-Deacons becoming Cardinal-Priests on 21 February 2011. In that case, all 6 retained their same title, each being elevated pro hac vice.
In the past, these elevations have been almost automatic, it remains to be seen if the same will be true under Pope Francis.
The seven who will be eligible are (with their current deaconry):
- Jean-Louis Pierre Cardinal Tauran, Sant’Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine
- Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino, San Francesco di Paola ai Monti
- Francesco Cardinal Marchisano, Santa Lucia del Gonfalone
- Julián Cardinal Herranz Casado, Sant’Eugenio
- Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragán, San Michele Arcangelo
- Attilio Cardinal Nicora, San Filippo Neri in Eurosia
- Georges Marie Martin Cardinal Cottier, O.P., Santi Domenico e Sisto
Regarding a Consistory to create new Cardinals, as of 20 Oct 2013, there will only be 109 Cardinal Electors. This is low enough that a consistory becomes likely. It is extremely likely before the end of 2014, at that point there would only be 97 Cardinal Electors, a number not seen since the months leading up to the February 2001 consistory.
All that being said, it is always hard to predict anything about the first consistory to create cardinals of a new Pope.
