Who is Daniel DiNardo? The Texas cardinal participating in the 2025 Conclave papal election
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, despite his retirement in January 2025, will still play a pivotal role in the 2025 papal election by participating as a voting member in the Conclave.
While he formally retired in January of this year, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo is not done yet with the Catholic Church. At 75 years old, DiNardo will be a voting member of the 2025 Conclave, held in the Sistine Chapel, to elect a new pontiff.
DiNardo is one of ten U.S. cardinals eligible to vote in the Conclave, and is arguably among the most senior of the ten. He voted for Jorge Mario Bergoglio to become Pope Francis in 2013 and is entering a new phase of church life that is fraught with geopolitical tensions and pastoral crises.
Daniel DiNardo, the Texas cardinal in 2025 Conclave
Daniel DiNardo was born in Ohio in 1949 and was brought up in Pennsylvania, and received her Catholic education from very early on. DiNardo studied Philosophy at The Catholic University of America, and studied Theology in Rome at the Gregorian University, and at the Augustinianum Patristic Institute.
His background in academic education, and his knowledge of canon law, led him to the Vatican in the 1980s, when he worked for the Congregation for Bishops, and was director of the residence for U.S. clergy in Rome.
DiNardo became the bishop of Sioux City in 1997, and in 2004, he assumed the role of coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He was named to the role of archbishop two years later. DiNardo was responsible for an archdiocesan territory encompassing more than 23,000 square kilometers with over 7.8 million people.
As archbishop, he oversaw more than two million baptized Catholics, with 435 priests, 146 parishes, and 54 education institutions. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI named Daniel DiNardo as a cardinal, making him the first cardinal in the history of Texas. He turned 75 in January 2025, submitted his resignation to Pope Francis, and was welcomed. The successor was Monsignor Joe S. Vásquez.
What is Daniel DiNardo's role in the Conclave, and what prior experience does he have in papal elections?
Even if he is not in charge of an active diocese, DiNardo is still one of the exclusive 133 cardinals that have a vote in the Conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor.
As an emeritus archbishop, he has a voice and a vote in the electing of a new pope, just as he did in 2013, when he voted in the historic election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Latin American pope.
At present, DiNardo is also speaking with nine other U.S. cardinals, four of whom are still active in their pastoral ministries. Because of his previous executive experience, connection to the Vatican, and oversight of one of the largest archdioceses in the country, he has particular insight on the internal discussions taking place surrounding the election at the Conclave.
