133 cardinals to begin conclave to elect new pope

One hundred and thirty-three cardinals — most of them appointed by the late Pope Francis and with an average age of 70 — are set to gather in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the conclave that will elect the next pope.

Of the Catholic Church’s 252 cardinals, only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. This leaves 117 senior prelates out of the selection process. Two others who qualify by age, Cardinal John Njue of Kenya and Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Spain, have declined to participate due to health reasons.

While Europe, and particularly Italy, will still dominate numerically, its influence has waned compared to the last conclave in 2013. At that time, Europeans comprised 52 percent of the cardinal electors. This year, they account for 39 percent, or 52 of the 133 voters.

Pope Francis, who emphasized inclusion during his papacy, made a point of appointing cardinals from what he referred to as the “peripheries” of the Catholic world.

According to the Holy See, Asia will be the second-most represented region with 23 cardinals, followed by Central and Latin America (21), Africa (17), North America (16), and Oceania (four).

Italy will still have the largest national bloc with 17 electors, though down from 28 in 2013. The United States follows with 10, and Brazil with seven. France will have five representatives. Argentina, the late pope’s homeland, will send four, as will Spain, Canada, India, Poland, and Portugal.

In Africa, Ivory Coast is the only country with more than one cardinal-elector. A total of 69 countries will be represented at the conclave, along with Jerusalem, which will be represented by Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, patriarch of the city.

The average age of the electors is 70 years and three months. The oldest attendee is Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid, who turns 80 on May 16. The youngest is Archbishop Mykola Bychok of Melbourne, who turned 45 in February.

Of the 133 voting cardinals, 108 were appointed by Pope Francis. His predecessor Benedict XVI named 20, while Pope John Paul II selected five.