Cardinal O’Malley of Boston turns 80, can no longer vote for pope

 

Cardinal O’Malley of Boston turns 80, can no longer vote for pope

BRAINTREE (MA)
Aleteia [Paris, France]

June 29, 2024

By John Burger

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The Capuchin Franciscan made his mark effectively responding to a sexual abuse scandal in Boston that had worldwide repercussions.

Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, the Archbishop of Boston, turns 80 on June 29 and is therefore no longer able to vote in a papal conclave.

Yet the cardinal continues in key roles five years past the mandatory retirement age of bishops, a sign of Pope Francis’ esteem for the Capuchin Franciscan.

In addition to heading one of the United States’ most significant archdioceses, Cardinal O’Malley is president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which has been meeting since May 2014, and is an original member of the Council of Cardinals, an influential body formed in 2013 to advise Pope Francis on the reform of the Roman Curia and other matters.

A public letter

O’Malley, who appears in public wearing the brown robe of his Capuchin…