An African cardinal from Burkina Faso, Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, could be excluded from the conclave to elect a new pope due to uncertainty about his birthdate.
There is confusion regarding whether Cardinal Ouédraogo was born on January 24, 1945, which would make him 80 years old, or on December 31, 1945, which would make him 79.
This is significant because cardinals over the age of 80 are not permitted to participate in the upcoming papal conclave elections, which commence on Wednesday.
If Cardinal Ouédraogo were to participate in the conclave and later discover that he is too old to participate, the resulting election could be invalidated.
Cardinal Ouédraogo is considered a conservative, which suggests he could be influential for traditionalist factions seeking to reverse Pope Francis’ positions on issues such as blessing same-sex unions.
In last year’s Vatican yearbook, Cardinal Ouédraogo’s birthdate is listed as January 24, 1945, indicating that he is now over 80 years old.
However, in the latest official Vatican directory, his birthdate is listed as December 31, 1945, as reported by The Telegraph.
This adjustment would make him 79 years old, just within the age limit to participate in a papal conclave.
This change has garnered attention. An Italian newspaper humorously suggested that the cardinal had discovered the secret to stopping time, while another newspaper ran the headline: “The peculiar case of the cardinal who has become a year younger to enter the conclave.”
The cardinal, who hails from a rural region of Burkina Faso, has provided a straightforward explanation for the confusion surrounding his age.
Addressing the uncertainty about his age, he stated, “In my village, there were neither hospitals nor schools. I was born at home and was not given a birthdate.”
