Vatican City, Rome: Uganda will not participate in the upcoming papal conclave to elect a new Pope following the death of Pope Francis, the Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda, Archbishop Luigi Bianco, has confirmed.
The country’s only cardinal, Emmanuel Wamala, is 98 years old, well past the canonical age limit of 80 required to vote in papal elections. The restriction, introduced in 1970 by Pope Paul VI through the motu proprio Ingravescentem aetatem, disqualifies any cardinal who reaches the age of 80 from casting a vote in the conclave.
“Many cardinals are more than 80 years old,” Archbishop Bianco stated. “But they no longer have this right, which is the most important right of the cardinals – to elect the Pope.”
Cardinal Wamala, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1994 by Pope John Paul II, last attended pre-conclave meetings in 2013 but did not vote due to his age at the time. He remains Uganda’s second cardinal after the late Emmanuel Nsubuga.
While he will not travel to Rome, Archbishop Bianco noted that Cardinal Wamala will remain spiritually engaged with the election process. “Cardinal Wamala will be united with his brother cardinals in Rome. He will pray to the Holy Spirit to guide them,” he said.
The conclave is scheduled to take place between May 6 and May 12, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at the age of 88 after suffering a cerebral stroke. His funeral is slated for April 26 in St. Peter’s Square.
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