Belgian Cardinal Danneels turns 80; 112 cardinal-electors remain
June 04, 2013
Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the retired Archbishop of Brussels, marked his 80th birthday on June 4, and thus became ineligible to vote in a papal election.
Ordained to the priesthood in Brussels in 1957, Father Godfried Danneels was named Bishop of Antwerp in 1977, and Archbishop of Brussels-Malines in 1979. He remained in that post until his retirement in January 2010 at the age of 76. He was raised to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in 1983.
There are now 205 living members of the College of Cardinals, of whom 112 are eligible to vote in a papal election. Barring a death among the cardinals, that number will remain unchanged until September, when Cardinals Francisco Errazuriz Ossa, the retired Archbishop of Santiago, Chile; and Raffaele Farina, the former Vatican archivist, will celebrate their 80 birthdays. However, 6 more cardinals will turn 80 by March 2014, providing for 16 openings that Pope Francis could fill if he chooses to appoint new cardinal-electors early next year.
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