Conclave by numbers: Who's electing the next pope?

 Conclave by numbers: Who's electing the next pope?

Cardinals play a central role in the papal election, known as a conclave. There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, but only 133 will vote for a new pope as they must be under 80 years of age to take part.Here's a breakdown of the number of cardinals by continent:

1. Europe: 114
2. Asia: 37
3. South America: 32
4. Africa: 29
5. North America: 28
6. Central America: 8
7. Oceania: 4

The youngest member of the College of Cardinals is the Ukrainian-born Melbourne bishop Mykola Bychok, 45. The oldest is 99-year-old Angelo Acerbi, an veteran of the Vatican diplomatic service.