(Vatican Radio) In the wake of Pope Francis’ eagerly anticipated announcement of
the names of the new Cardinals, the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See,
Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, offered the following observations:
The Pope
has adhered to the rule of 120 Cardinals under 80 years of age who will be eligible
to vote in a papal election. Currently there were 13 seats “vacant”; 3 others will
be “vacant” by the end of May. So the Pope has chosen 16 electors.
Of the 16
eligible to vote, 4 are members of the Curia (i.e., ¼ of the total) and 12 are residential
archbishops or bishops, all from different countries .
The distribution of
electors who are residential prelates is well distributed among the different continents:
Two from Europe, three from North and Central America, three from South America, two
from Africa, and two from Asia.
The choice of Cardinals of Burkina Faso and
Haiti shows concern for people struck by poverty.
Two residential prelates
were chosen from places not traditionally considered Cardinalatial Sees (namely, Perugia
in Italy, and Cotabato on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines).
Among
the Cardinals who are not electors, one should notice Archbishop Capovilla, the secretary
of Pope John XXIII (who will soon be canonized during the 50th anniversary
of the Second Vatican Council).
Archbishop Capovilla, aged 98, is the oldest
of the Cardinals-elect; the youngest, Bishop Langlois (55 years old).