 Generally considered "papabile" in the 1963 papal conclave closest to the vision of John XXIII, Lercaro, however, was considered too liberal by most of his fellow cardinal electors to be elected; Giovanni Battista Montini ultimately won.Although Cardinal Lercaro did much vital work in implementing the Council after it closed in 1965, his advancing age saw him gradually disappear from prominence within the Church as the 1960s drew to a close.On 12 February 1968, Cardinal Lercaro stepped down from his position as Archbishop of Bologna and in 1971, he lost his right to participate in any future conclave upon reaching the age of eighty according to the then-recent motu proprio Ingravescentem aetatem.