Accra, May 29, GNA – Pope Francis on Sunday appointed 21 new cardinals, including Ghana’s Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr Missionaries of Africa, of Wa Catholic Diocese.
Of the 21 new cardinals, 16 of them are electors with a right to vote in the next conclave.
The 85-year-old pope made the announcement from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square after reciting the Regina Coeli prayer.
The rest of 21 newly cardinals innclude Bishop Robert Walter McElroy of San Diego (United States), Arthur Roche, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (United Kingdom) and Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect for the Congregation for Clergy (South Korea).
The rest are Fernando Vergez Alzaga, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (Spain), Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline, of Marseille (France), Archbishop Peter Okpaleke, of Ekwulobia (Nigeria), Archbishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, of Manaus (Brazil), and Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião of Rosário Ferrão, of Goa e Damão (India).
Others Archbishop Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva, of Dili (East Timor), Bishop Oscar Cantoni, of Como (Italy), Archbishop Anthony Poola, of Hyderabad (India), Archbishop Paulo Cezar Costa, of Brasília (Brazil), Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye, of Singapore (Singapore), Archbishop Adalberto Martínez Flores, of Asunción (Paraguay) and Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, Prefect of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
Five, which are over the age of 80 include Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal, Archbishop Emeritus of Cartagena (Colombia), Archbishop Lucas Van Looy sdb, Archbishop Emeritus of Ghent (Belgium), Archbishop Arrigo Miglio, Archbishop Emeritus of Cagliari (Italy), Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda sj (Italy) and Monsignor Fortunato Frezza (Italy).
Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has created 101 cardinals from 58 countries at seven consistories.
Ahead of the upcoming consistory, there are currently 117 cardinal electors, 67 (52 per cent) of whom have been appointed by Pope Francis.
GNA