Cardinal Sin hopes he can join Rome conclave

Retired Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin said yesterday he remains hopeful that he might still attend the conclave of cardinals that begins in Rome on April 18.

Under Church law, cardinals 80 years old and younger are allowed to cast their votes in the conclave of the College of Cardinals that will elect the new pope.

There are 117 cardinals, including the 76-year-old Sin, who are eligible to participate in the conclave. Voting by proxy is not allowed; a cardinal must be physically present at the Vatican to cast his vote.

Earlier, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) spokesman Monsignor Hernando Coronel said Sin, who suffers from diabetes and kidney problems, is too ill to attend the conclave.

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal is already in the Vatican for the conclave. Another Filipino prelate, Jose Cardinal Sanchez, is based at the Vatican but is not qualified to attend the conclave since he is 84 years old.

Fr. Rufino Sescon Jr., Sin’s private secretary, said though the prelate seems to have accepted his doctors’ decision not to allow him to go to the Vatican, he is still hoping he could attend the conclave later this month.

Sin was profoundly affected by the death of Pope John Paul II, with whom he shared a deep friendship, Sescon said. Sin and then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla shared a room during the 1978 conclave following the death of John Paul I.

In that conclave, Wojtyla was elected pope and took the name John Paul II.

Sin is also one of only three cardinals of the Catholic Church who were present in the conclaves that elected John Paul I and John Paul II.

Sescon said when Sin heard of John Paul II’s death last Saturday, he began preparing for the 16-hour flight to the Vatican. Sin began telling friends and visitors that he would be leaving shortly to attend the funeral and the conclave, according to Sescon.

He added that Sin had constantly mentioned that as a cardinal and one of the leaders of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, he should be present at the event that determines who will be the next pontiff.