Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega is no longer able to vote in a conclave since he turns 80 years old today. The College of Cardinals is now left with 110 cardinal electors.
24 were named by John Paul II
55 by Benedict XVI and
31 by Pope Francis
The Cuban cardinal was archbishop of Havana, one of the few to have hosted the last three popes. John Paul II visited in 1998, Benedict XVI in 2012, and Pope Francis in 2015. ;
As a priest he was sentenced to forced labor. ;
As a cardinal, he's had to deal with the difficult relations between the Castro administration and the Church, and he has earned the respect of the important actors in Cuban society, even those who opposed him. It was not easy. He always tried to speak with both parts, something that irritated those who opposed the dictatorship. ;
He was a priest who kept an eye on social issues in his country. One of his greatest achievements was negotiating the permission for Caritas to work in the island in 1991.
JRB/AG
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Up:MB
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