Cardinal who became entitled to attend when he officially became younger now will not attend. Vatican wanted secrecy!

The fact that he is still eligible to vote at all is thanks to a correction of his date of birth. Nevertheless, one Cardinal will miss the conclave, as has now been revealed: The Vatican actually wanted to keep the details secret.

Cardinal John Njue is one of the two cardinals eligible to vote who will not participate in the conclave. Sources in the Archdiocese of Nairobi (Kenya) confirmed to "ACI Africa" ​​that the archbishop emeritus will not travel to Rome for health reasons. On Tuesday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced that two cardinals would not be able to participate in the conclave, but declined to comment on which ones for reasons of protecting personal information. It is already known that the other absent cardinal is the Archbishop emeritus of Valencia, Antonio Canizares Llovera.

Njue's participation was only made possible by a correction of his age. Until 2023, he was listed in the Annuario Pontificio, the yearbook of the universal Church, only with the year of birth 1944. In 2024, his birthday was corrected to 1 January 1946. Njue will therefore not reach the age limit of 80 for cardinals eligible to vote until the coming New Year. Pope Francis accepted Njue's resignation as Archbishop of Nairobi on 4 January 2021. According to the information at the time, this would mean he was approximately 77 years old, or, according to his updated birthday, three days after reaching the age limit of 75, at which bishops are required to offer their resignation to the Pope.

Bosnian Cardinal Vinko Puljić had also originally planned to stay away from the conclave for health reasons. However, after consulting a doctor, he decided to participate. The 79-year-old is the longest-serving cardinal eligible to vote in the current College of Cardinals. He was a member of the conclave in 2005 and 2013. Of the 135 papal electors, 133 are currently participating in the conclave. Angelo Becciu, who has resigned from his duties as a cardinal, announced on Tuesday that he will not insist on participating.

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