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Cardinals Update : Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, President Emeritus of Pontifical Council ‘Cor Unum’ (Germany), turned 80, ceases to be a Cardinal-elector

On Friday, 5 September 2014, Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, Cardinal-Deacon of S. Lorenzo in Piscibus, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council ‘Cor Unum’ (Germany), turned 80, and therefore, according to the rules written in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, he lost his right to vote in any future conclave. Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes was born in Kirchhundem, Germany on 5 September 1934.

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Cardinal Cordes was made Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria Ausiliatrice in Via Tuscolana by Pope Benedict XVI in the 2007 Consistory of Cardinals on 24 November 2007, the second Consistory of his pontificate. Cardinal Cordes was made a Cardinal in honour of his position as the President of the Pontifical Council ‘Cor Unum’, the branch of the Roman Curia focused on the efforts of the Holy See in the field of human and Christian development, involved in various charitable acts and humanitarian relief efforts, a position he held from 1995 to 2010. Before that, Cardinal Cordes was the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity from 1980 to 1995, and before that, the Auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn (Germany), from 1975 to 1980.

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http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/data/cardB16-2.htm#707

May God bless His Eminence Cardinal Cordes with a blessed old age and health. May he remain strong in the faith and hopefully can perhaps still continue to work great graces and good works of love and peace just as he had once done in his long service to the Church, particularly his contributions as a member of the Roman Curia in helping the actions of the Holy See and the Pope.

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The College of Cardinals now stands at 210 members in total, with 114 Cardinal-electors and 96 Cardinal non-electors. There are now a vacancy of 6 Cardinal-elector as compared to the maximum number of electors allowed in the Conclave of 120.

Next Cardinal-elector to age out (80) will be Cardinal Franc Rode, C.M. (Slovenia), the Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life on 23 September 2014.

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College of Cardinals : Cardinal Severino Poletto turns 80, ceases to be a Cardinal-elector

http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/data/cardJP2-8.htm#125

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Cardinal Severino Poletto, Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Torino in Italy, and Cardinal Priest of S. Giuseppe in Via Trionfale, who was elevated to the cardinalate on 21 February 2001 by Blessed Pope John Paul II, turns 80 today, Monday, 18 March 2013.

As such, Cardinal Poletto ceases to be a Cardinal-elector as of today, and lost in voting rights in any future Conclave, according to the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.

The College of Cardinals now stands at 206 members, out of which there are 114 Cardinal-electors (minus one due to Cardinal Poletto) and 92 Cardinal non-electors.

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Fifth and Sixth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals : Thursday, 7 March 2013, likely to discuss and decide Conclave date

The fifth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals will be held on Thursday, 7 March 2013 at 9.30 am in the morning, and then followed by another General Congregation, the sixth one, in the early evening at 5 pm. All times depicted here are Rome time or CET / UTC+1.

As by Thursday all Cardinal-electors should already be in Rome, and the fact that there will be two General Congregations on this day, is possibly that the Cardinals are hoping to finish up any matters before the start of the Conclave, and that in one of the two General Congregations, the date of the start of the Conclave may be decided. Only one Cardinal yet to arrive, Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh-Man, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. The other 114 Cardinal-electors (out of 115) have arrived in Rome and taken part in the General Congregations.

Look forward to the press briefing by Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See Press Office on Thursday, 7 March 2013 at 1 pm Rome time / CET / UTC+1. If the date has been decided in the Fifth General Congregation in the morning, it will likely be announced in the press briefing, otherwise, as Fr. Lombardi has mentioned in his press briefing earlier, that if the Cardinals decide the date in the evening’s Sixth General Congregation, he will pass the message to the accredited news reporters to break the news to the world.

Let us continue to pray for our Church, for the Cardinal-electors, and for the smooth preparation and proceeding of the Conclave!