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BURKINA FASO
Senior cardinal diesReceived red hat from Pope Paul VI
Cardinal Paul Zoungrana, the retired archbishop of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, died on June 4 at the age of 82.
Pope John Paul II paid tribute to the African prelate as one who had spent “long and fruitful years in episcopal ministry.” He characterized Cardinal Zoungrana as “a zealous and faithful servant of the Church,” and offered special praise for his work among the neediest people of the Sahel region.
Born in Ouagadougou in September 1917, Paul Zoungrana was one of the first natives of that city ever to be ordained to the priesthood, in 1942. He became the city’s archbishop in 1965, and remained in that post until his retirement in 1995. He was raised to the College of Cardinals by Pope Paul VI in 1965.
The death of Cardinal Zoungrana left the College of Cardinals with 147 members, of whom exactly 100 are below the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote in a papal conclave. Pope John Paul II has conferred the red hat on 121 of the living cardinals, and 88 of the electors. There are now 12 African cardinals among the eligible electors.