Upon reaching the age of 80, cardinals lose their right to participate in a conclave to elect the pope.

In 2025, there will be 14 members of the College of Cardinals who will reach the age of 80 and thus lose the right to participate in a conclave. Here’s an overview of these cardinals — Schönborn, Radcliffe, Sarah… — and the consequences of this development for the institution responsible for electing the future pope.

More than 10% of the members of the College of Cardinal-electors will lose that membership in 2025. (They will still be in the College of Cardinals but won’t be electors). Without taking into account possible deaths or a new consistory, the number of cardinal electors is set to go from 139 to 125.

This is still above the maximum limit of 120 set by Paul VI. However, since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has interpreted this figure as a minimum below which he therefore strives not to fall.

Only 4 left from JPII

In 2025, the College of Cardinal electors will lose its most senior member, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, former archbishop of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Pope John Paul II created him cardinal in 1994, at the height of the Balkan War. If we add the 80th birthday of Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in January (consistory of 1998), the electoral college will count with only four cardinals created by the Polish pope: Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdö, Croatian Cardinal Josip Bozanic, and French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn — Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

© Antoine Mekary / ALETEIA

As for the cardinals created by Benedict XVI, still 19 (or 15% of all cardinals) will have the right to participate in a conclave following the 80th birthdays of four cardinals created by the German pontiff. Those four are Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Indian Cardinal George Alencherry, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, and Polish Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko.

As a result, by the end of next year, Pope Francis will have created more than four out of five cardinals in the electoral college.

Europe and Africa losing numbers, America on the rise

In 2025, eight European cardinal electors will reach 80 years of age. This will continue the decline in the number of Old World cardinals in the electoral college — from 52% in 2013 to 38% today.

Another important trend is a slight decrease of African cardinals, who will represent only 12% of the college of cardinal electors at the end of next year, compared with 13% in 2024. However, Africans only constituted 10% of electors in 2013.

Among the continents that will see an increase in 2025, we find the Americas as a whole (+2.3 points in one year), but above all North America, which will almost regain its 2013 position (12%).

Asia, despite the departure of two cardinals from the electorate, will remain stable, and overall continues to be the great winner of this pontificate (18% expected by the end of 2025 versus 8% in 2013).

A new protopriest for the conclave

Until September 8, 2025, in the event of a conclave, Cardinal Vinko Puljić will be the cardinal protopriest. He will therefore have to deliver the formal prayer at the inauguration of the new pope.

This will no longer be the case after his 80th birthday: the archbishop emeritus of Sarajevo will then be replaced by Cardinal Peter Turkson, current chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Cardinal Puljić was created in 1994 by John Paul II, who was impressed by the bishop’s courage at the height of the Balkan war. Very discreet today, he has been retired since 2022.

Another very important figure in the College of Cardinals who will lose his voting rights is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. The archbishop of Vienna since 1995 will turn 80 on January 25. This son of aristocrats and member of the Dominicans continues to play a key role today, despite his frail health.

Schönborn still heads his archdiocese, and Pope Francis appointed him to head the board overseeing the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) — aka the Vatican’s private bank — in 2024. He also participated in all recent Synod assemblies (notably playing a key role in the Synod on the Family in 2015). He has sometimes been mentioned as a papabile.

Cardinal Sarah among the octogenarians

Three members of the Roman Curia will lose their right to participate in a conclave. The first is Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on March 1. This Spaniard and member of the Legionaries of Christ has been the president of the Governorate of the Vatican City State since 2021. He’s also a member of the council of cardinals (C9), the council that assists the Pope in his reform of the Church.

Cardinal-Robert-Sarah — Cardinal Robert Sarah

Antoine Mekary | ALETEIA

Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah will lose his right to participate in the conclave on June 15. The former Archbishop of Conakry was President of the Pontifical Council Cor unum and then Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He has been retired since 2021. Sometimes referred to as papabile, this great spiritual figure made a name for himself through his many essays and his firm stance on societal and ecclesiological issues.

Lastly, Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, archpriest of St. Mary Major, will also celebrate his 80th birthday on July 4. Pope Francis has not yet replaced him, but has already named his successor in the person of Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas. The pontiff created Makrickas cardinal last December after appointing him archpriest coadjutor, and giving him most of the powers associated with Cardinal Ryłko’s office.

Two Englishmen and two Spaniards

In 2025, the electoral College of Cardinals will lose two more French-speaking Africans: Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso, archbishop emeritus of Ouagadougou, and Cardinal Jean-Pierre Kutwa of Côte d’Ivoire, archbishop emeritus of Abidjan.

It will also lose two Asians: the archbishop emeritus of Karachi (Pakistan), Cardinal Joseph Coutts, and the former head of the Siro-Malabar Eastern Church, Indian Cardinal George Alencherry.

CARDENAL CAÑIZARES — Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, retired archbishop of Valencia, Spain.

Archidiócesis de Valencia

The only cardinal affected in the Americas is Capuchin Cardinal Celestino Aós Braco, archbishop of Santiago, Chile, who played an important role in the period following the abuse crisis that hit the Church in his country. Two other Spanish-speakers will be leaving the college of cardinal electors: the former archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra, and the former archbishop of Valencia, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera.

Finally, the College of Cardinal electors will lose two of its three British members. One is the still-serving archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. The other is the celebrated Dominican preacher Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, whom the Pope created a cardinal in 2024. The only remaining Englishman will be Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, who turns 76 in 2025.

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