By Two Catholic cardinals have withdrawn from participating in next week’s conclave to elect a new Pope due to health reasons, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, reducing the number of expected electors to 133.
While the Vatican did not disclose the identities of the absent cardinals, a source from the archdiocese of Valencia confirmed that Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, the archbishop emeritus, will not attend the conclave owing to health concerns.
A total of 135 cardinals are eligible to vote in the papal election, which is scheduled to begin on May 7 inside the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The secretive process typically lasts several days.
Assuming all other eligible cardinals are present, the electoral college will comprise 133 members.
To be elected, the next Pope must receive at least a two-thirds majority of the votes, which in this case would be 89 out of 133.
This conclave follows Pope Francis’s unexpected resignation announcement earlier this year, setting in motion one of the Catholic Church’s most sacred and consequential traditions.
