Bosnian Cardinal Vinko Puljic, 79, has arrived in Rome to take part in the upcoming conclave to elect a new Pope after he had previously been ruled out and missed last week's burial of Pope Francis due to heath reasons.
Due to his continued illness, Puljic will need to remain isolated and unable to be with the other cardinals in the Sistine Chapel where the conclave is taking place. Three cardinals will reportedly retrieve his card four times a day covering the 20-minute walk by foot or by shuttle. To maintain secrecy, cardinals are not permitted to communicate during the voting.
Puljic is the longest-serving cardinal in the College of Cardinals and has previously voted in the elections of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and Francis in 2013. Earlier in the week, Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, also 79, had to withdraw for medical reasons leaving 134 cardinals eligible. Only those under the age of 80 are permitted to vote.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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