Conclave Update: Vatican Conservatives Face Potential Blow Over Next Pope

Confusion surrounding the birthdate of Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, a conservative cardinal from Burkina Faso, may cost him his spot at the upcoming papal conclave.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 can participate in a conclave, a rule established by Pope Paul VI in 1970 and reaffirmed in subsequent papal decrees.

But it is unclear whether Ouédraogo is 79 or 80, as he has different birth dates listed in Vatican yearbooks for 2024 and 2025.

Newsweek has contacted the Vatican, via email, for comment.

Why It Matters

Ouédraogo is known as a theological conservative, meaning his vote could be important for traditionalists who want to roll back some of Pope Francis’ more progressive stances—such as blessing same-sex unions—influencing the ideological trajectory of the next papacy.

What To Know

Last year, Ouédraogo, was listed by the Vatican as being born on January 25, 1945, which would make him 80.

But, this year the Vatican now records his birthdate as December 31, 1945, leaving him just within the voting age threshold.

He was interviewed about this by Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad, when he said: “In my village, there were neither hospitals nor schools. I was born at home and was not given a birthdate.”

Ouédraogo said he had randomly selected January 25 when he joined the seminary for bureaucratic reasons, but the December 31 date appears in both his passport and the country’s national registry.

When asked why the date was only changed this year, just ahead of his 80th birthday, Ouédraogo answered: “In Africa, birthdays don’t matter. We celebrate community events, not individual ones. A birthday has little influence on social life.”

This is according to a translation by La Croix, a French Roman Catholic newspaper.

It quoted Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the Holy See as saying: “It is common practice for governments to assign Dec. 31 as a birthdate when the actual date of birth is unknown.”

Newsweek has contacted Burkina Faso’s Embassy to the Holy See, via email, for comment.

Two cardinals—Kenya’s John Njue and Spain’s Antonio Cañizares Llovera—have already withdrawn from the conclave for health reasons, reducing the number of electors.

Should Ouédraogo be excluded, only 132 cardinals will cast votes, most of whom were appointed by Pope Francis. To be elected the next pontiff, a candidate requires a two-thirds majority.

What People Are Saying

Speaking to reporters ahead of his trip to Michigan, President Donald Trump was asked about the upcoming conclave process and whom he would like to see as the next pope.

“I’d like to be pope,” the president quipped. “That would be my number one choice. No, I don’t know, I have no preference…I must say we have a cardinal [Timothy Dolan, who has been the archbishop of New York since 2009] that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good. So, we’ll see what happens.”

What Happens Next

The conclave is set to begin on May 7. There are currently four frontrunners in the race to become the next pope and decide the future path of the Church.