Nigeria’s Peter Cardinal Okpaleke and other 17 Africans are among the 135 cardinals eligible to elect the next new Pope.
Nevertheless there are 252 cardinals, but only 135 cardinals have voting status and are eligible to vote for the next Pope when the conclave begins in the coming days.
Europe has 53 cardinals of voting status, followed by Asia (23), Africa (18), South America (17) and North America (16).
Central America and Oceania have four each and it is the lowest number of electors at the forthcoming conclave.
The Cardinal electors of African origin 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).
Others are Desire Tsarahazana (Madagascar), Peter Turkson (Ghana), Jean-Paul Vesco (Algeria), Cristobal Romero (Morocco), Stephen Mulla (South-Sudan), Fridolin Besungu (DR Congo), Ignace Dogbo (Ivory Coast), Stephen Brislin (South Africa), Arlindo Furtado (Cape Verde), Antoine Kambanda (Rwanda) and Jean-Pierre Kutwa (Ivory Coast).
Meanwhile, 108 of the electors were appointed by Pope Francis, 22 by his predecessor, Pope Benedict and five by Pope John Paul II.
Newspot recalls that Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at his residence in Rome at the age of 88.
His funeral is scheduled for Saturday as global leaders prepare to attend.
