Cardinal Ricardo Maria Carles Gordo, the retired Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain, died on December 17 at the age of 87. A native of Valencia, Cardinal Carles Gordo was ordained to the priesthood in 1951, and named Bishop of Tortosa in 1969. In 1990 he became Archbishop of Barcelona, remaining in that post until his retirement in 2004 at the age of 77.
He was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
Pope Francis paid tribute to the deceased Spanish cardinal for his “great service offered to the Church,” and for “pursuing the task of evangelization with wisdom and generosity.”
There are now 199 living members of the College of Cardinals, of whom 109 are under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote in a papal conclave.