Cardinal Dominik Duka of the Czech Republic has turned 80. This means he is no longer eligible to vote in future conclaves. The Cardinal served as the Archbishop of Prague and Prefect of the Czech Republic.
Cardinal Duka was born in 1943. During the Nazi's occupation of the country, his father fled to England and fought against Hitler in the Czechoslovak Foreign Army.
At the age of 25, the Cardinal secretly joined the Dominicans. In 1981, he was imprisoned for over a year after organizing a center for religious studies and collaborating with an undercover newspaper.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II ordained him a bishop and he was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Cardinal Duka participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis.
As of today, the College of Cardinals consists of 222 cardinals. There are 122 electors and 100 members who are not eligible to vote in a conclave because they are over 80 years old. In 2023, another 8 cardinals will also celebrate their 80th birthday.
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