Kenya’s cardinal to miss Pope vote because of ill health

By: BBC Africa

The Catholic Church in Kenya has responded to concerns that the country’s only cardinal will not be participating in the election of the next pope because he had not been asked to attend.

Following Pope Francis’ death last month, senior Catholic leaders, known as cardinals, who are younger than 80, are eligible to elect his successor.

They are due to begin meeting in the Vatican on Wednesday, but Kenyan Cardinal John Njue, 79, was quoted in a Kenyan newspaper saying that he had not been invited and he did not know why.
Catholic officials in Kenya later said that he had been invited but was not able to go because of ill health.