Pope Francis on Sunday announced he would hold a consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals, including the bishops of Malaysia and Hong Kong.
“I would like to announce that next 30 September, I will hold a Consistory for the appointment of new Cardinals. Where they come from expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all people of the earth,” said Pope Francis.
The 86-year-old pontiff made the announcement from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square after the Angelus prayer on July 9.
The pope said, “The insertion of the new Cardinals in the Diocese of Rome, manifests the inseparable bond between the See of Peter and the local Churches spread throughout the world.”
Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan, S.J. of Hong Kong and Bishop Sebastian Francis of Penang (Malaysia) are among those who were named.
Bishop Chow Sau-yan has been the bishop of Hong Kong since December 4, 2021. He was provincial superior of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, Chinese province from 2018 to 2021.
Bishop Francis was appointed prelate of Penang by Pope Benedict XVI on July 7, 2012. He served as the vicar general of Melaka-Johor Diocese.
In his 10 years of pontificate, the pontiff has already created 121 cardinals from 66 countries at eight consistories. The last consistory to create new cardinals took place on Aug. 27, 2022.
Ten members of the College of Cardinals have turned 80 since the last consistory, thus losing their chance to participate in a future papal election. Seven more cardinals will turn 80 before the end of the year.
Immediately following the 2020 consistory, Pope Francis had appointed 83 of the members of the College of Cardinals eligible to vote in a future conclave.
Benedict XVI had named 38 of the cardinal electors and John Paul II had appointed 11.
Ahead of the upcoming consistory, there are currently 121 cardinal electors, 81 (67%) of whom have been appointed by Pope Francis. – with reports from Catholic News Agency and Vatican News.
This is the full list:
- Archbishop Robert Francis Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops (United States)
- Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (Argentina)
- Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. (France)
- Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (Italy)
- Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, Apostolic Nuncio to Italy (Switzerland)
- Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan, S.J., Bishop of Hong Kong (China)
- Archbishop José Cobo Cano, Archbishop of Madrid (Spain)
- Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town (South Africa)
- Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches (Italy)
- Archbishop Ángel Sixto Rossi, Archbishop of Córdoba (Argentina)
- Archbishop Luis Rueda Aparicio, Archbishop of Bogotá (Colombia)
- Archbishop Grzegorz Ryś, Archbishop of Lodz (Poland)
- Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, Archbishop of Juba (South Sudan)
- Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, Coadjutor Archbishop of Tabora (Tanzania)
- Bishop Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang (Malaysia)
- Bishop François-Xavier Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio (France)
- Bishop Américo Emanuel Alves Aguiar, Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon (Portugal)
- Father Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major of the Salesian Order (Spain)
Three are over the age of 80:
- Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, apostolic nuncio (Italy)
- Archbishop Diego Rafael Padrón Sánchez, Archbishop Emeritus of Cumanà (Venezuela)
- Father Luis Pascual Dri, OFM Cap., Confessor at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii in Buenos Aires (Argentina)
