The Guatemalan ÁLVARO LEONEL RAMAZZINI IMERI, appointed cardinal by Pope Francis, He is the only Guatemalan religious with the possibility of participating in the choice of a new Pope in case a replacement is required, either by death or renunciation of the Pontiff.
On October 5, 2019, Ramazzini, archbishop of the diocese of Huehuetenango, appeared among a group of new cardinals that were invested.
Since then, it was designated that the Guatemalan could vote in the future conclave.
The cardinals are chosen by the Pope, and their main function is the responsibility that when they die or renounce a Pope, it is they who meet and are the voters of the successor.
Who is Cardinal Álvaro Ramazzini?
Born on July 16, 1947 in Guatemala City, Ramazzini is a priest with A wide trajectory within the Catholic Church.
He is the son of Ernesto Ramazzini and Delia Mercedes Imeri.
He studied high school at the Santiago Minor Conciliar Seminar. He was ordained a priest on June 27, 1971 at age 23. He obtained a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, Italy.
He was ordained Bishop in 1988 in the Diocese of San Marcos and has been a firm defender of the rights of the most vulnerable, especially indigenous communities and migrants.
Currently, he is the bishop of the Diocese of Huehuetenango.
On October 5, 2019, Pope Francis appointed him Cardinal, making him the third Guatemalan in history to receive this title.
Monsignor Mario Casariego and Acevedo is considered as the first cardinal of GuatemalaMetropolitan Archbishop between 1964 and 1983, appointed on April 28, 1969 by Paulo VI.
Casariego participated as a cardinal in the conclaves of August and October 1978, where Juan Pablo I and San Juan Pablo II were elected.
The second Cardinal of Guatemala was Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruño. By appointment of John Paul II.
Quezada served as a mediator between the government and the guerrillas during the peace process, in the 1990s. That work earned him recognition of multiple sectors.
Cardinal Quezada participated in the 2005 conclave, when Benedict XVI was chosen.
Why can you participate in the choice of a new Pope?
According to the rules of the Catholic Church, cardinals under 80 years have the right to vote in a conclave to choose the next pontiff. Ramazzini, with 76 years, still meets this requirement and, in the event that Pope Francis renounces or dies, he may be part of the group of cardinals voters.
The most recent case of a papal choice without death was in 2013, when Benedict XVI resigned for health reasons, giving way to Francisco’s choice.
If something similar happened, Cardinal Ramazzini would have the opportunity to participate in the decision of the next leader of the Catholic Church.
His role as a voter cardinal reflects the importance of His work within the Church and his influence on social and religious issues in Guatemala and the world.
Also read: “Let’s walk together in La Esperanza”: the message of Pope Francis for the Lent of 2025