Vatican

A former Vatican nuncio and collaborator in the Roman Curia, Sri Lankan Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith, 77, has been leading the Archdiocese of Colombo since 2009.

Of the 135 cardinals eligible to enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to elect the next pope, one absence has sparked confusion, controversy and no small amount of speculation, almost as if it were a plot point of the movie “Conclave.”

The 72-year-old Salesian missionary has spent more than three decades of his priestly ministry in the developing world and now leads a tiny Catholic minority in a Muslim-majority country.

At the upcoming conclave, of the 133 cardinal electors who will enter the Sistine Chapel, 23 will come from Asia. At least six are on various short lists as “papabile,” or “popeable” candidates.

While no one expects cardinals to vote as geographical blocs for a new pope, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the African bishops’ council, and the presidents of other regional conferences have connections and knowledge that many of their confreres do not.