The Catholic Church in Kenya has addressed concerns regarding the absence of the country’s sole cardinal from the upcoming papal election, citing that he had not received an invitation to attend.
Following the passing of Pope Francis last month, cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to elect his successor.
The conclave is set to commence in the Vatican on Wednesday; however, Cardinal John Njue, 79, expressed in a Kenyan newspaper that he had not been invited and was uncertain about the reasons.
Subsequently, Catholic officials in Kenya clarified that he had indeed been invited but was unable to attend due to health issues.
A statement from Archbishop Philip Anyolo confirmed, ‘While [the cardinal] is eligible to participate and was officially invited… due to his current health condition, [he] will be unable to travel to Rome.’ The archbishop urged prayers for Cardinal Njue’s health, without elaborating on his medical condition.
The Nairobi archdiocese’s statement on Tuesday was a response to inquiries regarding Cardinal Njue’s attendance at the conclave.
The Daily Nation had reported his comments about not being invited, adding, ‘It is not because of health… I don’t really know… it’s hard to comment on it.’
Cardinal Njue served as the Archbishop of Nairobi from 2007 until his retirement in 2021 and was appointed a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming the second cardinal from Kenya.
\Alongside Spain’s Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, 79, he is among the only two cardinals not participating in the papal vote out of the 135 eligible cardinals.
A two-thirds majority, or at least 89 votes, is necessary to elect the new pontiff and successor to Pope Francis, who will lead the global Catholic community of 1.4 billion.
