| Date | Age | Event | Bishop | Title | Current Title |
| 18 Feb 2012 | 76.4 | Appointed | Santos Abril y Castelló | Cardinal-Deacon of San Ponziano | Cardinal, Vice-Chamberlain of the Apostolic Chamber |
| 76.4 | Elevated to Cardinal | Santos Abril y Castelló | Cardinal, Vice-Chamberlain of the Apostolic Chamber |
| 66.8 | Appointed | George Alencherry | Cardinal-Priest of San Bernardo alle Terme | Cardinal, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly (Syro-Malabarese), India |
| 66.8 | Elevated to Cardinal | George Alencherry | Cardinal, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly (Syro-Malabarese), India |
| 83.8 | Appointed | Karl Josef Becker, S.J. | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of San Giuliano Martire |
| 83.8 | Elevated to Cardinal | Karl Josef Becker, S.J. | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of San Giuliano Martire |
| 69.4 | Appointed | Giuseppe Bertello | Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Vito, Modesto e Crescenzia | Cardinal, President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State |
| 69.4 | Elevated to Cardinal | Giuseppe Bertello | Cardinal, President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State |
| 65.0 | Appointed | Giuseppe Betori | Cardinal-Priest of San Marcello | Cardinal, Archbishop of Firenze {Florence}, Italy |
| 65.0 | Elevated to Cardinal | Giuseppe Betori | Cardinal, Archbishop of Firenze {Florence}, Italy |
| 64.8 | Appointed | Joăo Bráz de Aviz | Cardinal-Deacon of Sant’Elena fuori Porta Prenestina | Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life |
| 64.8 | Elevated to Cardinal | Joăo Bráz de Aviz | Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life |
| 69.0 | Appointed | Domenico Calcagno | Cardinal-Deacon of Annunciazione della Beata Vergine Maria a Via Ardeatina | Cardinal, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See |
| 69.0 | Elevated to Cardinal | Domenico Calcagno | Cardinal, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See |
| 73.9 | Appointed | Francesco Coccopalmerio | Cardinal-Deacon of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami | Cardinal, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts |
| 73.9 | Elevated to Cardinal | Francesco Coccopalmerio | Cardinal, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts |
| 65.1 | Appointed | Thomas Christopher Collins | Cardinal-Priest of San Patrizio | Cardinal, Archbishop of Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| 65.1 | Elevated to Cardinal | Thomas Christopher Collins | Cardinal, Archbishop of Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| 62.0 | Appointed | Timothy Michael Dolan | Cardinal-Priest of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario | Cardinal, Archbishop of New York, New York, USA |
| 62.0 | Elevated to Cardinal | Timothy Michael Dolan | Cardinal, Archbishop of New York, New York, USA |
| 68.8 | Appointed | Dominik Jaroslav Duka, O.P. | Cardinal-Priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro | Cardinal, Archbishop of Praha {Prague}, Czech Republic |
| 68.8 | Elevated to Cardinal | Dominik Jaroslav Duka, O.P. | Cardinal, Archbishop of Praha {Prague}, Czech Republic |
| 58.7 | Appointed | Willem Jacobus Eijk | Cardinal-Priest of San Callisto | Cardinal, Archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands |
| 58.7 | Elevated to Cardinal | Willem Jacobus Eijk | Cardinal, Archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands |
| 65.8 | Appointed | Fernando Filoni | Cardinal-Deacon of Nostra Signora di Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio | Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples |
| 65.8 | Elevated to Cardinal | Fernando Filoni | Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples |
| 86.2 | Appointed | Prospero (Stanley) Grech, O.S.A. | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria Goretti |
| 86.2 | Elevated to Cardinal | Prospero (Stanley) Grech, O.S.A. | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria Goretti |
| 73.9 | Appointed | Manuel Monteiro de Castro | Cardinal-Deacon of San Domenico di Guzman | Cardinal, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary |
| 73.9 | Elevated to Cardinal | Manuel Monteiro de Castro | Cardinal, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary |
| 80.7 | Appointed | Lucian Mureşan | Cardinal-Priest of Sant’Atanasio | Cardinal, Major Archbishop of Făgăraş şi Alba Iulia (Romanian), Romania |
| 80.7 | Elevated to Cardinal | Lucian Mureşan | Cardinal, Major Archbishop of Făgăraş şi Alba Iulia (Romanian), Romania |
| 72.9 | Appointed | Edwin Frederick O’Brien | Cardinal-Deacon of San Sebastiano al Palatino | Cardinal, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem |
| 72.9 | Elevated to Cardinal | Edwin Frederick O’Brien | Cardinal, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem |
| 91.8 | Appointed | Julien Ries | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of Sant’Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia |
| 91.8 | Elevated to Cardinal | Julien Ries | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of Sant’Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia |
| 72.5 | Appointed | John Tong Hon | Cardinal-Priest of Regina Apostolorum | Cardinal, Bishop of Hong Kong [Xianggang], China |
| 72.5 | Elevated to Cardinal | John Tong Hon | Cardinal, Bishop of Hong Kong [Xianggang], China |
| 74.0 | Appointed | Antonio Maria Vegliň | Cardinal-Deacon of San Cesareo in Palatio | Cardinal, President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People |
| 74.0 | Elevated to Cardinal | Antonio Maria Vegliň | Cardinal, President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People |
| 68.6 | Appointed | Giuseppe Versaldi | Cardinal-Deacon of Sacro Cuore di Gesů a Castro Pretorio | Cardinal, President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See |
| 68.6 | Elevated to Cardinal | Giuseppe Versaldi | Cardinal, President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See |
| 55.5 | Appointed | Rainer Maria Woelki | Cardinal-Priest of San Giovanni Maria Vianney | Cardinal, Archbishop of Berlin, Germany |
| 55.5 | Elevated to Cardinal | Rainer Maria Woelki | Cardinal, Archbishop of Berlin, Germany |
| 26 Feb 2012 | 65.9 | Installed | Fernando Filoni | Cardinal-Deacon of Nostra Signora di Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio | Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples |
| 9 Mar 2012 | 92.0 | Died | José Tomás Sánchez † | Cardinal, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy |
| 15 Mar 2012 | 72.9 | Appointed | Edwin Frederick O’Brien | Cardinal, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem |
| 20 Mar 2012 | 75.7 | Retired | Jean-Claude Turcotte | Archbishop of Montréal, Québec, Canada | Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus |
| 10 Apr 2012 | 89.7 | Died | Luis Aponte Martínez † | Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of San Juan de Puerto Rico |
| 21 Apr 2012 | 86.3 | Installed | Prospero (Stanley) Grech, O.S.A. | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria Goretti |
| 22 Apr 2012 | 84.0 | Installed | Karl Josef Becker, S.J. | Cardinal, Cardinal-Deacon of San Giuliano Martire |
| 74.1 | Installed | Manuel Monteiro de Castro | Cardinal-Deacon of San Domenico di Guzman | Cardinal, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary |
| 72.7 | Installed | John Tong Hon | Cardinal-Priest of Regina Apostolorum | Cardinal, Bishop of Hong Kong [Xianggang], China |
| 26 Apr 2012 | 74.1 | Installed | Francesco Coccopalmerio | Cardinal-Deacon of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami | Cardinal, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts |
| 10 May 2012 | 80.4 | Retired | Nicholas Cheong Jin-Suk | Archbishop of Seoul, Korea (South) | Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus |
| 16 May 2012 | 73.1 | Resigned | Edwin Frederick O’Brien | Apostolic Administrator of Baltimore, Maryland, USA | Cardinal, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem |
| 17 May 2012 | 58.9 | Installed | Willem Jacobus Eijk | Cardinal-Priest of San Callisto | Cardinal, Archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands |
| 20 May 2012 | 76.7 | Installed | Santos Abril y Castelló | Cardinal-Deacon of San Ponziano | Cardinal, Vice-Chamberlain of the Apostolic Chamber |
| 65.1 | Installed | Joăo Bráz de Aviz | Cardinal-Deacon of Sant’Elena fuori Porta Prenestina | Cardinal, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life |
| 27 May 2012 | 69.3 | Installed | Domenico Calcagno | Cardinal-Deacon of Annunciazione della Beata Vergine Maria a Via Ardeatina | Cardinal, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See |