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Catholic World News News Feature

Two Cardinals Reach 80, Number of Electors Shrinking January 31, 2003

VATICAN, Jan 31, 03 (CWNews.com) -- Two members of the College of Cardinals celebrated their 80th birthday on January 31, thus reaching the age when they become ineligible to vote in a papal election. There are now 112 cardinals qualified to vote in a conclave.

Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia, the Argentine-born archivist and librarian of the Vatican; and Cardinal Maurice Michael Otunga, the former Archbishop of Nairobi, each reached the age of 80 on Friday.

Cardinal Mejia has worked at the Vatican for years, serving at the Congregation for Bishops, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and the Commission for Relations with Judaism. He accompanied Pope John Paul II on his historic visit to Rome's synagogue in April 1986, and helped organize the first inter-faith prayer service at Assisi in October of that year. He also helped to draft two papal encyclicals, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis and Centesimus Annus.

Cardinal Otunga, a Kenyan native, was born in January 1923, but the exact date is unknown, so his birthday has been set at January 31. He became Archbishop of Nairobi in 1971, and remained in that position until his retirement in 1997.

As of February 1, there will be 112 cardinal electors-- as opposed to 135 two years earlier. The decline in the membership of the College of Cardinals has prompted reports that Pope John Paul II may convene a new consistory, and name more cardinals, sometime in the coming year. Most Vatican observers suspect that a consistory would take place no sooner than in June 2003.