A total of 18 African cardinals are among the 135 eligible to vote in the upcoming papal conclave following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday.
Though the College of Cardinals currently has 252 members, only 135 are under the age of 80 and qualified to vote in the secret ballot to elect a new pope.
Europe leads the list with 53 cardinal electors, followed by Asia with 23. Africa comes third with 18 electors, while South America has 17 and North America 16. Oceania and Central America have the fewest, with four each.
The Cardinal electors of African origin are Fridolin Besungu (DR Congo), Ignace Dogbo (Ivory Coast), Stephen Brislin (South Africa), Arlindo Furtado (Cape Verde), Antoine Kambanda (Rwanda), Jean-Pierre Kutwa (Ivory Coast).
Others are John Njue (Kenya), Dieudonne Nzapalainga (Central African Republic), Peter Okpaleke (Nigeria), Nakellentuba Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Protase Rugambwa (Tanzania), Robert Sarah (Guinea), Berhaneyesus Souraphiel (Ethiopia).
The list of Africans also includes Desire Tsarahazana (Madagascar), Peter Turkson (Ghana), Jean-Paul Vesco (Algeria), Cristobal Romero (Morocco), Stephen Mulla (South-Sudan).
Interestingly, 108 of the current cardinal electors were appointed by Pope Francis, 22 by Pope Benedict XVI, and five by Pope John Paul II.
Among the front-runners to succeed Pope Francis are Peter Erdo (Hungary), Matteo Zuppi (Italy), Robert Sarah (Guinea), Luis Tagle (Philippines), Malcolm Ranjith (Sri Lanka), Pietro Parolin (Italy), and Fridolin Besungu (DR Congo).
The conclave, which may take several rounds of voting, requires a two-thirds majority plus one to elect the new pontiff. More cardinals continue to arrive at the Vatican in preparation for the historic vote.
