Who'll Represent Your Voice in the Papal Election?

Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, will be one of 11 American cardinals in the papal conclave set to choose Pope Benedict XVI's successor.

Thursday marks the final day of Pope Benedict XVI's term, as he becomes the first leader of the Catholic Church to resign in six centuries.

Soon, the College of Cardinals will convene in the Vatican to elect a new pope. It will consist, by rule, of all cardinals who are younger than 80.

Two such cardinals are sitting out the conclave, which leaves 115 electors, according to a list curated by Florida International University and archived by the Library of Congress.

Other American cardinals younger than 80 joining the conclave with Rigali include the archbishops of Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago and Galveston-Houston, as well as an archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia is not a cardinal.

As for how many local people will be affected by the papal election, the Archdiocese maintains tables of census statistics on Catholics in the Philadelphia area.

As of the 2010 census, the following areas had total populations and registered Catholic populations as follows, according to archphila.org:

What sort of policies and approach would you hope to see from the next pope? Do you have a name in mind? Please tell us in the comments section below.