Conclave: 17 African Cardinals to elect new Pope

ROME, ITALY | THE INDEPENDENT | As the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pontiff following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, 17 African cardinal electors are among those taking part in the Conclave that officially begins this afternoon at the Vatican.

A solemn Holy Mass, Pro Eligendo Pontifice (For the Election of the Roman Pontiff), concluded earlier on Wednesday at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Mass, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re—Dean of the College of Cardinals—marked the spiritual start of the papal election process.

Cardinals entered the basilica in a solemn procession in order of seniority, each pausing to kiss the altar before taking their seats under the Basilica’s grand dome. Although aged 91 and ineligible to vote, Cardinal Re delivered a powerful homily invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the cardinal electors.

“Let us pray, then, that the Holy Spirit, who in the last hundred years has given us a series of truly holy and great Pontiffs, will give us a new Pope according to God’s heart for the good of the Church and of humanity. Let us pray that God will grant the Church a Pope who can awaken the conscience of society—one marked by great technological progress yet often forgetful of God,” he said, stressing the spiritual weight and global impact of the vote.

He added that the election of a new Pope is more than just a change in leadership—it is, in essence, the spiritual return of the Apostle Peter. He went on to remind the cardinals that, as the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis declares, the Sistine Chapel is “a place conducive to an awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged.”

The College of Cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel at 5:30 PM Ugandan time, taking a solemn oath before the doors are sealed, marking the start of the secret voting process to choose the next Pope.

Out of the 133 eligible cardinal electors from 71 countries, 18 are from Africa, representing a significant bloc in the Conclave. While Africa accounts for approximately 20% of the world’s Catholic population, its representation in the College of Cardinals stands at 13%.

These African electors come from 17 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic. Importantly to note is that of all cardinals from Africa, all but three of the current electors were appointed by Pope Francis.

Among the African cardinal electors is Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga (Central African Republic, 58), followed by Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla (Juba, South Sudan, 61) and Cardinal Peter Ebere Okpaleke (Ekwulobia, Nigeria, 62).

Others include Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco (Algiers, Algeria, 63), Cardinal Ignace Bessi Dogbo (Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 63), and Cardinal Protase Rugambwa (Tabora, Tanzania, 64), Cardinal Antoine Kambanda (Kigali, Rwanda, 66), Cardinal Stephen Brislin (Cape Town, South Africa, 68), and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Kinshasa, DR Congo, 65) who is also the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) are also part of the conclave.

Joining them are Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana (Toamasina, Madagascar, 70), Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero (Rabat, Morocco, 72), Cardinal Arlindo Gomes Furtado (Santiago, Cape Verde, 75), Cardinal Peter Turkson (Vatican/Pontifical Academies, Ghana, 76), and Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 76).

The oldest among them, all aged 79, are Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; Cardinal Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo, Archbishop Emeritus of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso; and Cardinal Jean-Pierre Kutwa, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan in Ivory Coast.

One African Elector Absent

Though Cardinal John Njue of Kenya, aged 79, is eligible to vote, he will not attend due to poor health. “Although is eligible to participate and was officially invited… owing to his current health condition, [he] will be unable to travel to Rome,” confirmed a statement signed by  Archbishop Philip Anyolo of Nairobi.

In addition to Cardinal John Njue of Kenya, it has been confirmed that Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, Archbishop Emeritus of Valencia, will also not attend the Conclave. This brings the total number of absent electors to two, meaning 131 out of the 133 eligible cardinal electors are expected to participate in the vote to elect the new Pope.

However, in practice, the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis allows for some flexibility: if any of the absent cardinal electors arrive re integra, that is, before the new Pope has been elected, they are permitted to join the Conclave and participate in the election at whatever stage it has reached. Therefore, Cardinals John Njue and Antonio Cañizares are not entirely excluded.

Global Representation in the Conclave

Europe leads with 53 cardinal electors, followed by Asia with 23. Africa ranks third with 18, while South America and North America have 17 and 16 electors, respectively. Oceania and Central America each have four.

As the cardinals prepare to cast their votes, the world waits for “the white smoke” to see who will emerge as the next spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, one tasked with guiding more than 1.3 billion faithful in a time of profound global and ecclesial change.

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