Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony will be among those traveling to Rome next month to participate in a papal conclave to elect a successor to retiring Pope Benedict XVI.

The 210-member College of Cardinals elects the pope, but only those under age 80 can participate in the secret election.

"Surely one of his great legacies will be a continuing emphasis on the need for all Catholics to exercise their role as evangelizers in the world," the 78-year-old cardinal said in a statement. "His focus upon the new evangelization will continue to enliven all disciples of Jesus."

As a member of the College of Cardinals, Mahony recalled the April 2005 conclave in which he helped elect the German-born pope.

Read more at the LA Daily News