Vatican City, Apr 9, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Two cardinals, eligible to vote for the next supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church, have communicated to the Vatican that they cannot attend the conclave for reasons of health.
Jaime Cardinal Sin, archbishop-emeritus of Manila, Philippines, and Adolfo Antonio Cardinal Suarez Rivera, archbishop-emeritus of Monterrey, Mexico, both under the age of 80, will not participate in the conclave that will elect the next Pope. Their absence brings the number of cardinal electors down to 115.
The conclave is set to start April 18. Press Office director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the announcement at a press conference April 9.