# Cardinal electors in the 1978 papal conclaves

The papal conclaves of August 1978 and of October 1978 were respectively convened to elect a pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, to succeed Paul VI and John Paul I following their respective deaths on 6 August 1978 and on 28 September 1978. In accordance with the apostolic constitution Romano Pontifici eligendo, which governed the vacancy of the Holy See, only cardinals who had not passed their 80th birthday on the day on which the conclave began (in these cases, cardinals who were born on or after 25 August 1898 for the first conclave, and on or after 14 October 1898 for the second conclave) were eligible to participate. Although not formal requirements, the cardinal electors invariably elected the pope from among their number and did so by secret ballot (Latin: per scrutinium). Due to the brief duration between the conclaves, the respective lists of cardinal electors are nearly identical.
Of the 129 members of the Sacred College of Cardinals at the time of the beginning of the first conclave, there were 114 cardinal electors who were eligible to participate. Three cardinal electors did not participate, decreasing the number in attendance to 111. Two cardinals, both cardinal electors, died in the time between the conclaves. Of the 126 members of the Sacred College of Cardinals at the time of the beginning of the second conclave, there were 111 cardinal electors who were eligible to participate; all of whom were in attendance. The number of votes required to be elected pope with a two-thirds-plus-one supermajority in either conclave was 75.
Of the 112 cardinal electors who attended at least one of the two conclaves, 5 were cardinal bishops, 92 were cardinal priests, and 15 were cardinal deacons; 3 had been created cardinals by Pope Pius XII, 8 by Pope John XXIII, and 101 by Pope Paul VI; 28 worked in the service of the Holy See (such as in the Roman Curia), 77 were in pastoral ministry outside Rome, and 10 had retired. The oldest cardinal elector in the conclaves was Joseph-Marie Trịnh Như Khuê, at the age of 79, and the youngest was Jaime Lachica Sin, at the age of 49–50. Another 15 cardinals were ineligible to participate in either conclave, for reasons of age.
The cardinal electors entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the first conclave on 25 August 1978. On 26 August, after four ballots over two days, they elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, Patriarch of Venice, who took the papal name John Paul I. After his death 33 days into his papacy, the cardinal electors again entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the second conclave on 14 October. On 16 October, after eight ballots over three days, they elected Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, Archbishop of Kraków, who took the papal name John Paul II.

## Cardinal electors

The Sacred College of Cardinals is divided into three orders – cardinal bishops (CB), cardinal priests (CP) and cardinal deacons (CD) – with formal precedence in that sequence. This was the order in which the cardinal electors entered the conclave, took the oath and cast their ballots. For cardinal bishops (except the Eastern Catholic patriarchs), the dean is first in precedence, followed by the vice-dean and then by the remainder in order of appointment as cardinal bishops. For cardinal bishops who are Eastern Catholic patriarchs, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons, precedence is determined by the date of the consistory in which they were created cardinals and then by the order in which they appeared in the official announcement or bulletin.
Two of the cardinal electors in the 1978 conclaves were from the Eastern Catholic Churches: Stéphanos I Sidarouss (Coptic) and Joseph Parecattil (Syro-Malabar). In both conclaves, the senior cardinal bishop, the senior cardinal priest, the senior cardinal deacon and the junior cardinal deacon were, respectively, Jean Villot, Giuseppe Siri, Pericle Felici and Mario Luigi Ciappi. Villot was also the camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, in charge of administering the Holy See during its vacancy.
The 112 cardinal electors in the table below are those who participated in at least one of the two conclaves. Two cardinals participated in only one: Albino Luciani, elected Pope John Paul I in the first conclave and whose death prompted the second conclave; and John Joseph Wright, who did not participate in the first conclave for health reasons owing to surgery. Another two cardinal electors did not participate in the first conclave; both died before the second conclave began. The data below are as of 25 August 1978 or 14 October 1978, the respective dates on which the conclaves began. Age ranges are given for some cardinals in the case of any differences in age as at the beginning of the two conclaves. All cardinals are of the Latin Church unless otherwise stated. Cardinals belonging to institutes of consecrated life or to societies of apostolic life are indicated by the relevant post-nominal letters.
| Rank | Name | Country | Born | Order | Consistory | Office |
| 1 | Jean Villot | France | 11 October 1905 (age 72–73) | CB | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Secretary of State, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church and President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum |
| 2 | Antonio Samorè | Italy | 4 December 1905 (age 72) | CB | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church |
| 3 | Francesco Carpino | Italy | 18 May 1905 (age 73) | CB | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop emeritus of Palermo |
| 4 | Sebastiano Baggio | Italy | 16 May 1913 (age 65) | CB | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Bishops |
| 5 | Stéphanos I Sidarouss CM | Egypt | 22 February 1904 (age 74) | CB | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Patriarch of Alexandria (Coptic Catholic Church) |
| 6 | Giuseppe Siri | Italy | 20 May 1906 (age 72) | CP | 12 January 1953 Pius XII | Archbishop of Genoa |
| 7 | Stefan Wyszyński | Poland | 3 August 1901 (age 77) | CP | 12 January 1953 Pius XII | Archbishop of Gniezno and of Warsaw |
| 8 | Paul Émile Léger PSS | Canada | 26 April 1904 (age 74) | CP | 12 January 1953 Pius XII | Archbishop emeritus of Montreal |
| 9 | José María Bueno y Monreal | Spain | 11 September 1904 (age 73–74) | CP | 15 December 1958 John XXIII | Archbishop of Seville |
| 10 | Franz König | Austria | 3 August 1905 (age 73) | CP | 15 December 1958 John XXIII | Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Secretariat for Non-Believers |
| 11 | Bernardus Johannes Alfrink | Netherlands | 5 July 1900 (age 78) | CP | 28 March 1960 John XXIII | Archbishop emeritus of Utrecht |
| 12 | Laurean Rugambwa | Tanzania | 12 July 1912 (age 66) | CP | 28 March 1960 John XXIII | Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam |
| 13 | José Humberto Quintero Parra | Venezuela | 22 September 1902 (age 75–76) | CP | 16 January 1961 John XXIII | Archbishop of Caracas |
| 14 | Juan Landázuri Ricketts OFM | Peru | 19 November 1913 (age 64) | CP | 19 March 1962 John XXIII | Archbishop of Lima |
| 15 | Raúl Silva Henríquez SDB | Chile | 27 September 1907 (age 70–71) | CP | 19 March 1962 John XXIII | Archbishop of Santiago de Chile |
| 16 | Leo-Jozef Suenens | Belgium | 16 July 1904 (age 74) | CP | 19 March 1962 John XXIII | Archbishop of Mechelen–Brussels |
| 17 | Thomas Benjamin Cooray OMI | Sri Lanka | 28 December 1901 (age 76) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Archbishop emeritus of Colombo |
| 18 | Maurice Roy | Canada | 25 January 1905 (age 73) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Archbishop of Quebec |
| 19 | Owen McCann | South Africa | 29 June 1907 (age 71) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Archbishop of Cape Town |
| 20 | Léon-Étienne Duval | Algeria | 9 November 1903 (age 74) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Archbishop of Algiers |
| 21 | Ermenegildo Florit | Italy | 5 July 1901 (age 77) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Archbishop emeritus of Florence |
| 22 | Franjo Šeper | Yugoslavia | 2 October 1905 (age 72–73) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith |
| 23 | Paul Zoungrana MAfr | Upper Volta | 3 September 1917 (age 60–61) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Archbishop of Ouagadougou |
| 24 | Agnelo Rossi | Brazil | 14 May 1910 (age 68) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples |
| 25 | Giovanni Colombo | Italy | 6 December 1902 (age 75) | CP | 22 February 1965 Paul VI | Archbishop of Milan |
| 26 | Gabriel-Marie Garrone | France | 12 October 1901 (age 76–77) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education and Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals |
| 27 | Egidio Vagnozzi | Italy | 26 February 1906 (age 72) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See |
| 28 | Maximilien de Furstenberg | Belgium | 23 October 1904 (age 73) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre |
| 29 | José Clemente Maurer CSsR | Bolivia | 13 March 1900 (age 78) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop of Sucre |
| 30 | John Joseph Krol | United States | 26 October 1910 (age 67) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop of Philadelphia |
| 31 | John Patrick Cody | United States | 24 December 1907 (age 70) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop of Chicago |
| 32 | Corrado Ursi | Italy | 26 July 1908 (age 70) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop of Naples |
| 33 | Alfred Bengsch | East Germany | 10 September 1921 (age 56–57) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop-Bishop of Berlin |
| 34 | Justinus Darmojuwono | Indonesia | 2 November 1914 (age 63) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop of Semarang |
| 35 | Karol Wojtyła* | Poland | 18 May 1920 (age 58) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop of Kraków |
| 36 | Michele Pellegrino | Italy | 25 April 1903 (age 75) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop emeritus of Turin |
| 37 | Alexandre-Charles Renard | France | 7 June 1906 (age 72) | CP | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Archbishop of Lyon |
| 38 | Alfredo Vicente Scherer | Brazil | 5 February 1903 (age 75) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Porto Alegre |
| 39 | Julio Rosales y Ras | Philippines | 18 September 1906 (age 71–72) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Cebu |
| 40 | Gordon Joseph Gray | United Kingdom | 10 August 1910 (age 68) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh |
| 41 | Paolo Bertoli | Italy | 1 February 1908 (age 70) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Prefect emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints |
| 42 | Joseph Parecattil | India | 1 April 1912 (age 66) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Ernakulam and President of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Oriental Canon Law (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church) |
| 43 | John Francis Dearden | United States | 15 October 1907 (age 70) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Detroit |
| 44 | François Marty | France | 16 May 1904 (age 74) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Paris |
| 45 | George Bernard Flahiff CSB | Canada | 26 October 1905 (age 72) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Winnipeg |
| 46 | Paul Gouyon | France | 24 October 1910 (age 67) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Rennes |
| 47 | Mario Casariego y Acevedo CRS | Guatemala | 13 February 1909 (age 69) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Guatemala |
| 48 | Vicente Enrique y Tarancón | Spain | 14 May 1907 (age 71) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Madrid |
| 49 | Joseph Malula | Zaire | 12 December 1917 (age 60) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Kinshasa |
| 50 | Pablo Muñoz Vega SJ | Ecuador | 23 May 1903 (age 75) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Quito |
| 51 | Antonio Poma | Italy | 12 June 1910 (age 68) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Bologna |
| 52 | John Joseph Carberry | United States | 31 July 1904 (age 74) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of St. Louis |
| 53 | Terence James Cooke | United States | 1 March 1921 (age 57) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of New York |
| 54 | Stephen Kim Sou-hwan | South Korea | 8 May 1922 (age 56) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Seoul |
| 55 | Eugênio de Araújo Sales | Brazil | 8 November 1920 (age 57) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro |
| 56 | Joseph Höffner | West Germany | 24 December 1906 (age 71) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Cologne |
| 57 | John Joseph Wright | United States | 18 July 1909 (age 69) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy |
| 58 | Johannes Willebrands | Netherlands | 4 September 1909 (age 68–69) | CP | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Archbishop of Utrecht and President of the Secretariat for Christian Unity |
| 59 | Albino Luciani* | Italy | 17 October 1912 (age 65) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Patriarch of Venice |
| 60 | António Ribeiro | Portugal | 21 May 1928 (age 50) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Patriarch of Lisbon |
| 61 | James Robert Knox | Australia | 2 March 1914 (age 64) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship |
| 62 | Avelar Brandão Vilela | Brazil | 13 June 1912 (age 66) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia |
| 63 | Joseph Cordeiro | Pakistan | 19 January 1918 (age 60) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Karachi |
| 64 | Aníbal Muñoz Duque | Colombia | 3 October 1908 (age 69–70) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Bogotá |
| 65 | Luis Aponte Martínez | Puerto Rico (United States) | 4 August 1922 (age 56) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico |
| 66 | Raúl Francisco Primatesta | Argentina | 14 April 1919 (age 59) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Córdoba |
| 67 | Salvatore Pappalardo | Italy | 23 September 1918 (age 59–60) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Palermo |
| 68 | Marcelo González Martín | Spain | 16 January 1918 (age 60) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Toledo |
| 69 | Louis-Jean Guyot | France | 7 July 1905 (age 73) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Toulouse |
| 70 | Ugo Poletti | Italy | 19 April 1914 (age 64) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Vicar General for Rome and Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran |
| 71 | Timothy Manning | United States | 15 November 1909 (age 68) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Los Angeles |
| 72 | Maurice Michael Otunga | Kenya | January 1923 (age 55) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Nairobi |
| 73 | José Salazar López | Mexico | 12 January 1910 (age 68) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Guadalajara |
| 74 | Humberto Sousa Medeiros | United States | 6 October 1915 (age 62–63) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Boston |
| 75 | Paulo Evaristo Arns OFM | Brazil | 14 September 1921 (age 56–57) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of São Paulo |
| 76 | James Darcy Freeman | Australia | 9 November 1907 (age 70) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Sydney |
| 77 | Narciso Jubany Arnau | Spain | 12 August 1913 (age 65) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Archbishop of Barcelona |
| 78 | Hermann Volk | West Germany | 27 December 1903 (age 74) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Bishop of Mainz |
| 79 | Pio Taofinuʻu SM | Western Samoa | 8 December 1923 (age 54) | CP | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Bishop of Samoa and Tokelau |
| 80 | Octavio Antonio Beras Rojas | Dominican Republic | 16 November 1906 (age 71) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Santo Domingo |
| 81 | Juan Carlos Aramburu | Argentina | 11 February 1912 (age 66) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Buenos Aires |
| 82 | Joseph-Marie Trịnh Như Khuê | Vietnam | 11 December 1898 (age 79) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Hanoi |
| 83 | Hyacinthe Thiandoum | Senegal | 2 February 1921 (age 57) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Dakar |
| 84 | Emmanuel Nsubuga | Uganda | 11 November 1914 (age 63) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Kampala |
| 85 | Lawrence Trevor Picachy SJ | India | 7 August 1916 (age 62) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Calcutta |
| 86 | Jaime Lachica Sin | Philippines | 31 August 1928 (age 49–50) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Manila |
| 87 | William Wakefield Baum | United States | 21 November 1926 (age 51) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Washington |
| 88 | Aloísio Lorscheider OFM | Brazil | 8 October 1924 (age 53–54) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Fortaleza |
| 89 | Reginald Delargey | New Zealand | 10 December 1914 (age 63) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Wellington |
| 90 | László Lékai | Hungary | 12 March 1910 (age 68) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Esztergom |
| 91 | George Basil Hume OSB | United Kingdom | 2 March 1923 (age 55) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Westminster |
| 92 | Victor Razafimahatratra SJ | Madagascar | 8 September 1921 (age 56–57) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Tananarive |
| 93 | František Tomášek | Czechoslovakia | 30 June 1899 (age 79) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Archbishop of Prague |
| 94 | Dominic Ignatius Ekandem | Nigeria | 1917 (age 60–61) | CP | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Bishop of Ikot Ekpene |
| 95 | Giovanni Benelli | Italy | 12 May 1921 (age 57) | CP | 27 June 1977 Paul VI | Archbishop of Florence |
| 96 | Joseph Ratzinger | West Germany | 16 April 1927 (age 51) | CP | 27 June 1977 Paul VI | Archbishop of Munich and Freising |
| 97 | Pericle Felici | Italy | 1 August 1911 (age 67) | CD | 26 June 1967 Paul VI | Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and President of the Pontifical Commissions for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law and for the Interpretation of the Decrees of the Second Vatican Council (Protodeacon) |
| 98 | Silvio Oddi | Italy | 14 November 1910 (age 67) | CD | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Pontifical Legate for the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi |
| 99 | Giuseppe Paupini | Italy | 25 February 1907 (age 71) | CD | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Major Penitentiary |
| 100 | Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano | Italy | 12 August 1903 (age 75) | CD | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Prefect emeritus of the Apostolic Palaces |
| 101 | Sergio Guerri | Italy | 25 December 1905 (age 72) | CD | 28 April 1969 Paul VI | Pro-President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State |
| 102 | Sergio Pignedoli | Italy | 4 June 1910 (age 68) | CD | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | President of the Secretariat for Non-Christians |
| 103 | Umberto Mozzoni | Argentina | 29 June 1904 (age 74) | CD | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | President of the Commission of Cardinals for the Pontifical Shrines of Pompeii and Loreto |
| 104 | Paul-Pierre Philippe OP | France | 16 April 1905 (age 73) | CD | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches |
| 105 | Pietro Palazzini | Italy | 19 May 1912 (age 66) | CD | 5 March 1973 Paul VI | Secretary emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and of the Commission of Cardinals for the Pontifical Shrines of Pompeii and Loreto |
| 106 | Opilio Rossi | Italy | 14 May 1910 (age 68) | CD | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | President of the Pontifical Councils for the Laity and for the Family |
| 107 | Giuseppe Maria Sensi | Italy | 27 May 1907 (age 71) | CD | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Apostolic Nuncio emeritus to Portugal |
| 108 | Corrado Bafile | Italy | 4 July 1903 (age 75) | CD | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints |
| 109 | Joseph Schröffer | West Germany | 20 February 1903 (age 75) | CD | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Secretary emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education |
| 110 | Eduardo Francisco Pironio | Argentina | 3 December 1920 (age 57) | CD | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Religious and Secular Institutes |
| 111 | Bernardin Gantin | Benin | 8 May 1922 (age 56) | CD | 27 June 1977 Paul VI | President of the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace and of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum |
| 112 | Mario Luigi Ciappi OP | Italy | 6 October 1909 (age 68–69) | CD | 27 June 1977 Paul VI | Pro-Theologian of the Pontifical Household |

### Not in attendance

| Rank | Name | Country | Born | Order | Consistory | Office | Reason for absence | Ref. |
| 1 | Valerian Gracias | India | 23 October 1901 (age 76) | CP | 12 January 1953 Pius XII | Archbishop of Bombay | Ill health; died on 11 September 1978, before the second conclave | |
| 2 | Bolesław Filipiak | Poland | 1 September 1901 (age 76–77) | CD | 24 May 1976 Paul VI | Dean emeritus of the Sacred Roman Rota | Ill health; died on 14 October 1978, the day on which the second conclave began | |

## Cardinal electors by continent and by country

The 112 attending cardinal electors in either conclave were from 49 countries on all six inhabited continents. The countries with the greatest number of cardinal electors were Italy (twenty-six in the first conclave, twenty-five in the second conclave), the United States (eight in the first conclave, nine in the second conclave; excluding Puerto Rico) and France (seven in both conclaves).