115 Cardinals Participate in Conclave, Vow Silence

From Saturday's EMail:

Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, today announced that only 115 cardinals will participate in the conclave. Cardinal Jaime Sin, Archbishop Emeritus of Manila (Philippines), and Cardinal Adolfo Antonio Suarez Rivera, Archbishop Emeritus of Monterrey (Mexico), will be unable to attend due to illness.

Furthermore, the cardinals today unanimously decided not to give any more interviews before the conclave opens on April 18. Navarro-Valls stressed that this should not be interpreted as a snub to the media but a gesture of great responsibility as the cardinals have begun a period of silence and prayer.

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The major of Rome, Walter Veltroni, announced that the Roman central train station, Termini, and the area on the edge of Rome called Tor Vegata, where World Youth Day took place in 2000, will be named after John Paul II.

This was from an Inside the Vatican Newsflash.