The Cardinals in numbers

There are currently 252 cardinals, 135 of whom are eligible and expected to vote in the conclave, but 2 of them are sick and cannot travel. They range in age from 45 to 99. Pope Francis chose 149 of the current members of the college, most of whom will help choose his successor as cardinal electors. 22 were chosen by Pope Benedict XVI and 5 by John Paul II. The 133 electoral candidates come from 71 different countries. Europe has 53 cardinals, 16 are from North America, 4 from Central America and 17 from South America, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa, and 4 from Oceania. Among the Europeans, Italy has 19, France has 6 and Spain has 5. Among all the electors, the youngest is Australian Ukrainian-born Mikola Bychok aged 45, while the oldest is the Spaniard Carlos Osoro Sierra at 79. 50 cardinals were born in the 1940s, 47 in the 1950s, 31 in the 1960s and 6 cardinals were born in the 1970s. The most represented birth year group is 1947 with 13 cardinals aged or approaching 78. Among the cardinals 33 belong to 18 different religious orders. The Salesians have 5, the Franciscan Friar Minors have 4, so do the Jesuits, while 3 are Franciscan Conventuals. There are also 2 Dominicans, 2 Redemptorists, 2 from the Divine Word Missionaries, and one each from Cistercians, Discalced Carmelites, Augustinians and a few others. Believe it or not, while countries like Tonga, Madagascar, Juba, South Sudan, Timor-Leste and Mongolia have a cardinal, the Archdioceses of Paris, Milan and Los Angeles, do not have a cardinal.