THE coming conclave is expected to be the largest in history, with a wide geographical mix of cardinal-electors.
There are 117 cardinals under age 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a papal election. They come from 53 different countries, and the vast majority of them have served as pastors in archdioceses around the world.
The cardinals’ average age is 71 years, seven months. That is about four years older than the average age of electors in the last conclave in 1978.
The oldest among current voters is Italian Cardinal Marco Ce, the retired patriarch of Venice, who turns 80 in July. The youngest is 52 year-old Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo of Budapest.
Pope John Paul II appointed all but three of the voting-age cardinals: US Cardinal William W. Baum, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Cardinal Jaime Sin of the Philippines. They are the only ones ever to have participated in a conclave.
The geographical breakdown of conclave voters has become more diverse since 1978, but Europeans still dominate.
CNS
