Peter Cardinal Okpaleke of Nigeria and 17 other African cardinals are among the 135 eligible to elect the next Pope at the upcoming papal conclave.


Although the College of Cardinals comprises 252 members, only 135 are under the age of 80 and therefore qualified to vote in the conclave.


By continent, the breakdown of voting cardinals is as follows:


Europe: 53


Asia: 23


Africa: 18


South America: 17


North America: 16


Central America & Oceania: 4 each


Africa’s electors include:

John Njue (Kenya), Dieudonné Nzapalainga (Central African Republic), Peter Okpaleke (Nigeria), Philippe Ouédraogo (Burkina Faso), Protase Rugambwa (Tanzania), Robert Sarah (Guinea), Berhaneyesus Souraphiel (Ethiopia), Désiré Tsarahazana (Madagascar), Peter Turkson (Ghana), Jean-Paul Vesco (Algeria), Cristóbal Romero (Morocco), Stephen Mulla (South Sudan), Fridolin Besungu (DR Congo), Ignace Dogbo and Jean-Pierre Kutwa (Ivory Coast), Stephen Brislin (South Africa), Arlindo Furtado (Cape Verde), and Antoine Kambanda (Rwanda).


Of the 135 voting cardinals:


108 were appointed by Pope Francis,


22 by Pope Benedict XVI,


and 5 by Pope John Paul II.


This follows the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, from a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and subsequent heart failure. His death was officially confirmed at 7:35 a.m. local time through electrocardiographic thanatography, according to the Vatican.