How old does a cardinal have to be to elect a pope?

Answer 1

Today a cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope.

The term cardinal (Cardinalis) was originally understood to include every priest permanently attached to a church, every clericus, either intitulatus or incardinatusT. I.e. the term "cardinal" at one time applied to any priest permanently assigned or incardinated to a church, or specifically to the senior priest of an important church, based on the Latin cardo (hinge), meaning "principal" or "chief".

This early usage began around the fifth century.

Answer 2

There is no minimum or maximum age for a cardinal. However, cardinals 80 years or older are not permitted to vote in a conclave.

Answer 3

A Cardinal loses his right to attend a Conclave, to elect the Pope, when he turns 80. However, there is no minimum age for a cardinal to be an elector.

Answer 4

Attached below is a link to the article listing all the living Catholic Cardinals, they are sortable by age. The youngest if 53 and the oldest is 98, so the average would be 75 1/2.