<em>Ecclesial retirement ages and cardinals’ voting age limits, mostly inherited from Paul VI, weren’t legislated before the Second Vatican Council.</em>
From time to time, Church news outlets — including Aleteia — note that a (once-)prominent cardinal has aged out of being able to vote in a conclave upon turning 80. While most of us are so used to the voting age limit as to not think twice about it, we might wonder: How old is this rule, and which pope established it?
Before Vatican II, there was no generalized legislation regarding an upper age limit for cardinals to be eligible to vote in a conclave. Soon afterwards, however, Pope Paul VI noted that advanced age can affect the aptitude of someone to carry out such important duties.
The office of cardinal has “particularly grave and delicate responsibilities” both in service of the Holy Father and in service of the Universal Church when the Apostolic See is vacant. Thus, in 1970, Paul VI considered that “the higher good of the Church” demanded that he consider the situation of elderly cardinals. He decided to decree a series of rules regarding cardinals’ retirement and age limits, as had already been done for priests and bishops.
Age-related limits for cardinals
In the resulting document, Ingravescentem aetatem, the Pontiff declared that cardinals should submit their resignation from positions at the head of Roman dicasteries (which the pope may accept or reject) at the age of 75.
He also indicated that when cardinals turn 80 they lose the right to vote in a conclave (and thus to participate at all). They also cease to be members of dicasteries and any other permanent bodies of the Holy See and Vatican City.
It’s worth noting that, unlike retirement, these two age-related provisions for cardinals are automatic and do not require formal acceptance by the pope.
However, cardinals aged 80 and above still belong to the College of Cardinals. As such, they can still participate in the general congregations held in the lead-up to a conclave, and in consistories.
Some of the processes and details of these rules have undergone changes in later legislation: the 1983 Code of Canon Law, 1996’s Universi Dominici Gregis, 2022’s Praedicate Evangelium, updates to the Personnel Rules of the Roman Curia specified by Pope Leo XIV… Nonetheless, the essential — the ages mentioned — have remained the same.
The most important difference for cardinals is that now they are eligible to vote in the conclave as long as they hadn’t turned 80 before the pope died (instead of before the conclave itself).
What about bishops and priests?
Conclave voting age limits obviously don’t apply to bishops and priests. However, bishops and priests do have some age-related rules. Pope Paul VI’s 1966 apostolic letter Ecclesiae Sanctae specified that diocesan bishops, coadjutors, and auxiliaries should submit their resignation upon turning 75. As with a cardinal's resignation, the pope is free to accept or reject it. Often the retirement is simply postponed. This also applies to cardinals with regards to their role leading a diocese, if they have one. These rules were later confirmed for the Latin Church by the 1983 Code of Canon Law.
In November of 2025, Pope Leo indicated that it's good for bishops to be allowed retirement at 75. He said, "It is good to respect the rule of 75 years for the conclusion of the service of Ordinaries in dioceses and, only in the case of Cardinals, may a continuation of ministry be considered, possibly for another two years."
Pastors of parishes are also requested (but not required) to submit their resignation at the age of 75, but to their diocesan bishop (not the pope), who is at liberty to accept the resignation or not.
This resignation regards their position as the head of a diocese or parish. It does not mean that, if their resignation is accepted, they cannot continue to carry out other ministries. Retired bishops and pastors often continue to engage in highly valuable active ministry in supportive roles, according to their health and energy.
Eastern Churches
Eastern Churches sui iuris have their own legislation — principally the Code of Canons for the Oriental Churches. However, the rules are broadly similar. Only patriarchs and major archbishops are excepted from the requirement to submit their resignation at the age of 75.
They are also excepted from a rule that affects other Eastern bishops: the age limit of 80 for having a deliberative vote in the Synod of Bishops of patriarchal churches and archiepiscopal churches. These bodies vote to elect patriarchs and candidates for vacant episcopal sees.
These post-Vatican-II rules recognize that the afflictions and frailty of age need to be taken into account. In our times of modern medicine, it is to be expected that many cardinals will live past the age of 80, though with varying degrees of health.
While human dignity is in no way reduced by age or infirmity, a person’s aptitude for certain tasks can be affected, as Paul VI concluded. Although the 80-year limit on voting in a conclave is absolute, current legislation allows the pope and diocesan bishops to decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to accept the resignation of individual bishops and priests.
