Cardinal Vinko Puljić, the emeritus Archbishop of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina,) who originally announced that he would miss the conclave for health reasons, has decided to participate at the conclave in a manner that may have a significant impact in the process.  

According to news published by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Cardinal Puljić, who is currently ill, has chosen to travel to Rome and will reside at the Santa Marta guesthouse during the conclave. In accordance with the rules set out in the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, he will cast his vote from his room rather than joining his fellow cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.

Cardinal Puljić is the longest-serving cardinal entitled to vote in the current College of Cardinals. He already took part in the elections of Benedict XVI and Francis in 2005 and 2013. He will be 80 years old on Sept. 8.

Under conclave procedures, cardinals who are too ill to be physically present in the Sistine Chapel are still eligible to vote. For each ballot, three designated cardinals, known as infirmarii (infirmaries), leave the chapel to collect the sick cardinals’ vote. They carry a locked box for the ballot, which is then returned unopened to the scrutineers for counting. This process must be repeated for every round of voting, which typically occurs up to four times per day.

The need to send infirmarii out of the sealed Sistine Chapel for each ballot, retrieve Cardinal Puljić’s vote, and then return, introduces a logistical delay. This additional step can extend the duration of each voting session, especially in a conclave  that will have the largest number of voting cardinals in history.

Cardinal Vinko Puljić, born September 8, 1945, in Prijećani, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a prominent Bosnian Croat prelate who has played a significant role in the Catholic Church for decades. Ordained a priest in 1970, he served in various pastoral and administrative roles before being appointed Archbishop of Vrhbosna (Sarajevo) in 1990, a position he held until 2022. He was elevated to cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1994 at the age of 49, making him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals at the time.

Puljić is widely recognized for his efforts to promote peace during the Bosnian War and for his leadership in supporting refugees.