Update: Cardinal Cañizares has confirmed this Tuesday that he will not attend the conclave for “health reasons”.
Antonio Cañizares Llovera, archbishop emeritus of Valencia, will be one of the Spanish cardinals who will participate in the next conclave to elect Francis’ successor, following the death of the Pope on April 21, 2025 due to a stroke.
Cañizares, born in Utiel (Valencia) in 1945, has been one of the most important voices of the Catholic Church in Spain during the last two decades.
Cañizares began his episcopal ministry as bishop of Avila in 1992, became archbishop of Granada in 1996 and then archbishop of Toledo and primate of Spain from 2002 to 2008.
In 2008, Benedict XVI appointed him prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a position he held until 2014. That year, Pope Francis entrusted him with the archdiocese of Valencia, where he remained archbishop until 2022, when he became archbishop emeritus after his resignation was accepted.
He obtained the post of cardinal in 2006, when he was created cardinal by Benedict XVI on March 24, receiving the title of St. Pancratius. He is considered a cardinal close to Ratzinger’s line of thought and more distant from Jorge Bergoglio’s reformist viewpoint.
In addition, he has been vice president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference in two stages: 2005-2008 and 2017-2020.
Cañizares, 79 years old, one year below the limit imposed by the Vatican to participate in the vote, remains a cardinal elector and will participate in the conclave.
Along with him, other Spanish cardinals such as Juan José Omella (Archbishop of Barcelona), José Cobo (Archbishop of Madrid), Ángel Fernández Artime (Rector Major of the Salesians) and Carlos Osoro (Archbishop Emeritus of Madrid) will also be present in Rome for the election of the new pontiff.
For the white smoke to occur, the chosen candidate must obtain a qualified majority of two thirds of the votes of the cardinal electors.
The conclave is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 5. Before that, a funeral in honor of Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, April 26.