Kenyan Cardinal John Njue has announced that he will not participate in the upcoming papal conclave to elect the successor to the late Pope Francis.
Sources in the Archdiocese of Nairobi, on Wednesday, April 30, confirmed with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, that due to health reasons, the African prelate will not travel to Rome to elect the Church’s next supreme pontiff.
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Cardinal Njue, 79, is the second Kenyan prelate (high-ranking member of the clergy) to be elevated to cardinal.
Cardinal John Njue Won’t Participate in Electing Next Pope Due to Health Reasons
Njue was ordained a priest in 1973 by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Kenyan Diocese of Meru.
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He received his episcopal ordination in 1986, at the age of 40, after Pope John Paul II appointed him first bishop of the Diocese of Embu, where he remained until 2002.
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Before being created a cardinal in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI, Njue served the Church in Kenya as coadjutor archbishop of Nyeri and apostolic administrator of Isiolo.
The African prelate also served two terms as president of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1997 to 2003 and from 2006 to 2015.
The Vatican recently updated Njue’s birth date record in the latest Pontifical Yearbook to Jan. 1, 1946, meaning the archbishop emeritus holds the right to vote in a papal conclave until Jan. 1, 2026. He is currently a member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelisation.
Njue’s Health
The 79-year-old cardinal has been unwell for some time, limiting his public appearances and participation in various events.
In January, Njue provided an update on his health, acknowledging that he was not as strong as he used to be. Despite his health challenges, he expressed his ongoing commitment to looking after his flock, emphasising his duty to serve his congregation.
“As you can see, I am not very strong, but I committed to coming and celebrating this mass with you. There is a lot of work to be done in God’s vineyard, and you are the ones to do it. It is your time,” Njue said during mass at St.Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church-Tena.
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The Archdiocese of Valencia also confirmed that Cardinal Antonio Cañizares of Spain will not travel to Rome for the upcoming papal conclave due to health reasons.
Alongside Cardinal John Njue of Kenya, who also announced his withdrawal due to health concerns, the number of eligible “cardinal electors” will be reduced to 133.
The Catholic Church has 135 cardinal electors, who traditionally gather in the Vatican to elect the new pope.
A two-thirds majority, or at least 89 votes, is required to elect the new pontiff and successor to Pope Francis, who will lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
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