After cancellation: Cardinal takes part in the conclave after all

Sarajevo - Vinko Puljic initially cancelled his participation in the papal election due to health problems. But now he will be travelling to Rome after all. He is the longest-serving cardinal eligible to vote in the College of Cardinals.

Published on 24.04.2025 at 15:12 –

The Bosnian Cardinal Vinko Puljic (79) will now take part in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope after all. As the archbishopric of Vrhbosna (Sarajevo) announced on Thursday, the archbishop emeritus has been given the green light to travel to Rome following medical consultation. Puljic had originally ruled out travelling to Rome for health reasons.

However, he will not be able to attend the funeral service and burial of Pope Francis on Saturday due to time constraints. His journey to Rome is planned for next week.

Puljic is the longest-serving cardinal entitled to vote in the current College of Cardinals. He already took part in the elections of Benedict XVI and Francis in 2005 and 2013. He will be 80 years old on 8 September. Following the cancellation of the Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera (79) due to illness, there are currently 134 cardinals eligible to vote. Only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. (KNA)