Picking new Pope from 'Papabili'

THE ELECTION OF A NEW POPE ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28 AT EXACTLY 19:00GMT 12 3- (8 PM LOCAL TIME IN ROME) POPE BENEDICT XI WILL FORMALLY RESIGN AS HEAD OF THE II BILLION-MEMBER ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH HE IS THE FIRST PONTIFF TO RESIGN IN 598 YEARS 1415 2013 THE END OF THE GERMAN LEADER'S ALMOST EIGHT-YEAR REIGN SETS IN MOTION THE ELECTION OF THE 266TH POPE E THERE ARE I17 CARDINALS ELIGIBLE TO ELECT THE NEXT POPE. CXVII iii EACH CARDINAL ELECTOR HAS TO BE BELOW THE AGE OF 80 WHEN THE SEAT BECOMES VACANT IN THE POPE-LESS INTERIM-SEDE VACANTE. THUS.. CARDINAL LUBOMYR HUSAR UKRAINE WHO TURNS 80 ON FEBRUARY 26 CANNOT VOTE BUT.. CARDINAL WALTER KASPER GERMANY WHO TURNS 80 ON MARCH 5 CAN STILL VOTE a Vatican spokesman told Al Jazeera. MEANWHILE.. CARDINAL JULIUS RIYADI DARMAATMADJA INDONESIA WHO IS 78 WILL MISS THE VOTE DUE TO FAILING HEALTH AND.. CARDINAL KEITH O'BRIEN HEAD OF SCOTLAND'S CATHOLIC CHURCH FOLLOWING ALLEGATIONS OF INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT WITH PRIESTS RESIGNED THAT BRINGS THE NUMBER OF VOTERS TO *I15* TO INHERIT THE SEAT OF ST. PETER,THE NEXT POPE NEEDS A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY OF THE I15 CARDINALS, OR 77 ELECTORS, 67 48 WERE APPOINTED WERE APPOINTED POPE BENEDICT XVI POPE JOHN PAUL II THERE IS NO OFFICIAL LIST OF PAPABILI (PAPAL CANDIDATES) UNDER THE CANON LAW THAT GOVERNS THE CHURCH ANY BAPTISED CATHOLIC MALE IS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME POPE SINCE 1378 THE POPE HAS ALWAYS BEEN PICKED FROM AMONG THE CARDINALS THEY WILL BE SEOQUESTERED INSIDE THE VATICAN WITH NO NEWSPAPER, RADIO, TELEVISION OR PHONE AS SOME OF THE CARDINALS HAVE FACEBOOK PAGES AND TWITTER ACCOUNTS, THEY WILL ALSO BE CUT OFF FROM THE INTERNET. IF NONE OF THE CANDIDATES RECEIVES THE REQUIRED VOTES AFTER 33 OR 34 BALLOTS THE TWO CANDIDATES WITH THE MOST VOTES WILL MOVE INTO IN A RUNOFF IN WHICH ONLY A SIMPLE MAJORITY IS REQUIRED TO BE ELECTED. THE CANDIDATES THEMSELVES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE. HERE ARE 12 CARDINALS WHOSE NAMES, ALPHABETICALLY LISTED, ARE MOST FREQUENTLY MENTIONED AS POSSIBLE CANDIDATES. 65 ఆ JOAO BRAZ DE AVIZ From Brazil, the country with the most Catholics. He is the head of the Vatican department for religious congregations. He was appointed Cardinal by Benedict in 2012. AGE 62 ఇం TIMOTHY DOLAN From the United States. He became archbishop of New York in 2009. He was appointed Cardinal by Benedict in 2012. He is known for his humour and charisma. ల AGE 70 OSCAR RODRIGUEZ MARADIAGA From Honduras. He is the archbishop of Tegucigalpa and president of Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella group of Catholic charities. He is said to be a multilingual archbishop. In the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict, he was also a papabili. 68 ఆడ MARC OUELLET From Canada. He is the head of Vatican's Congregation for Bishops. He is said to be well connected within the Curia, the Vatican bureaucracy. 70 క GIANFRANCO RAVASI From Italy. He has been Culture Minister of the Vatican since 2007 and represents the Church to the worlds of art, science and culture. Benedict picked Ravasi to lead the annual recollection of cardinals. ల్యో AGE 69 LEONARDO SANDRI Was born in Argentina to Italian parents. He is the current prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches and former Vatican ambassador to Venezuela and Mexico. ఆడ 67 ఆ ి ROBERT SARAH From Guinea. He is the president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which promotes Catholic charitable giving. A scripture scholar and former diocesan bishop, he served nine years as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. ఇా ODILO PEDRO SCHERER From Brazil. He is the archbishop of Sao Paulo, the largest diocese in the largest Catholic country - making him a strong candidate. But the rapid growth of Protestant churches in Brazil could hurt him. AGE 67 డి CHRISTOPH SCHOENBORN From Austria, is a former student of Pope Benedict with a pastoral touch the pontiff lacks. The Vienna archbishop has ranked as papal material since editing the Church catechism in the 1990s. 71 ANGELO SCOLA Is archbishop of Milan, a springboard to the papacy, and is many Italians' bet to win. An expert on bioethics, he also has links to the Islamic world, as head of a foundation to promote Muslim-Christian understanding. 55 ఇతా LUIS TAGLE From the Philippines. He is the archbishop of Manila. His charisma is said to be comparable to that of the late Pope John Paul II. He worked with Pope Benedict at the International Theological Commission and was named cardinal in 2012. At 55 he is the seond youngest cardinal. AGE 64 ఎి PETER TURKSON From Ghana, is said to be the top African candidate. As head of the Vatican justice and peace bureau, he is the spokesman for the church's social conscience and backs world financial reform. He was criticised for showing a video critical of Muslims at a recent Vatican synod. (Sources: Reuters, Pew Forum, Salvador Miranda/Florida International University, Catholic Sun) ALJAZEERA