Burkina Faso Candidate For Pope Risks Disqualification

An African cardinal from Burkina Faso could be dropped from the conclave to elect a new pope because it is not clear when he was born.

There is confusion over whether Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo was born on January 24 1945, which would make him 80 years old, or on December 31 of that year, which would make him 79.

This is important because cardinals who are over the age of 80 are not allowed to vote for the next Pope in the elections set to start on Wednesday.

If the cardinal took part in the conclave and it later turned out that he was too old to participate, it could render the result void.

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Cardinal Ouédraogo is regarded as a conservative, which means he could be important for the traditionalist factions looking to roll back Pope Francis’ stances on issues such as blessing same-sex unions.

In last year’s Vatican yearbook, the cardinal’s date of birth is listed as January 24, 1945, meaning that he is now over 80.

But in the latest official Vatican directory, his date of birth is listed as December 31, 1945, the Telegraph reports.

That adjustment would make him 79 years old, just within the age limit to participate in a papal conclave.

The change has raised eyebrows. An Italian newspaper quipped that the cardinal had ‘found the secret to stopping time,’ while another ran the headline: ‘The strange case of the cardinal who has become a year younger so that he can enter the conclave.’

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The cardinal, who hails from a rural part of Burkina Faso, has offered a simple explanation.

Addressing the confusion over his age: ‘In my village, there were neither hospitals nor schools. I was born at home and was not given a birthdate.’