Cardinal John Njue will not be attending the conclave to select the next Pope due to health reasons and not for lack of an invitation, the Catholic Church has clarified.
Nairobi Archbishop Philip Anyolo now says that Cardinal Njue, despite being eligible to vote (due to being under 80 at the time Pope Francis died) will not be among the more than 130 prelates who will be voting from Wednesday to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
“In response to various enquiries concerning whether His Eminence John Cardinal Njue, will be participating in the forthcoming conclave scheduled to commence on May 7, 2025, I hereby confirm that although His Eminence is eligible to participate and was officially invited through the Apostolic Nunciature in Kenya, the Apostolic Nuncio, in concurrence with the Office of the Archbishop of Nairobi, duly communicated to the competent office of the Holy See that, owing to his current health condition, His Eminence John Cardinal Njue will be unable to travel to Rome and take part in the Conclave,” Rev Anyolo said in a statement.
“It is not because of health…I don’t know…really, it’s difficult to comment about it,” he said.
The official communication outlet of the Holy See, in an April 29 post, said although there are 135 cardinals eligible to vote, “two have confirmed they won’t be able to attend the Conclave for health reasons bringing the total down to 133”.
Upon enquiries, the Catholic News Agency disclosed that the two are Cardinal Njue and Cardinal Antonio Cañizares of Spain.
Rev Anyolo’s statement further read: “As the College of Cardinals prepares to enter into conclave tomorrow [Wednesday], I earnestly urge all the faithful to pray that the Holy Spirit may guide the Cardinals as they undertake the solemn duty of electing our next Holy Father, who will shepherd the Universal Church. Let us also continue to pray for the good health of His Eminence John Cardinal Njue.”
Cardinal Njue’s participation has been a subject of controversy. On the Holy See website, in a biography last updated in 2014, his date of birth is indicated as 1944.
However, a recent update by the Catholic News Agency said his age was “recently updated” by the Vatican to January 1, 1946. That makes him eligible to vote for the next Pope until January 1, 2026.
