Penang Bishop Sebastian Francis Elected As Roman Catholic Cardinal By Pope Francis
Cardinal-elect Sebastian Francis will join 20 other newly elected cardinals in a ceremony at the Vatican on 30 September 2023.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel or follow us on the Lumi News app for the latest stories and updates.
In an official announcement on 9 July, Pope Francis declared the Right Reverend Datuk Seri Sebastian Francis, the Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang, as Malaysia’s second Roman Catholic cardinal from Penang.
The late Anthony Soter Fernandez, the former Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, served as Bishop of Penang from 1977 to 1983. He passed at age 88 in 2020.
Cardinal-elect Sebastian Francis, 72, also the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei, will join 20 other newly appointed cardinals in a ceremony at the Vatican on 30 September.
During the announcement, Pope Francis emphasised the universal nature of the Church and its mission to spread God’s merciful love to all people.
He also highlighted the close relationship between the See of Peter and the local churches around the world.
Cardinal-elect Francis expressed his gratitude and commitment to the mission of unity and his joy at being chosen to serve.
He expressed intentions to carry on the legacy of his predecessors, Cardinals Soter Fernandez, Cornelius Sim of Brunei, and William Goh of Singapore.
The other appointed cardinals named by Pope Francis include:
- Bishop Stephen Chriw Sau-yan of Hong Kong
- Bishop Américo Manuel Alves Aguivar who is Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon
- Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti Prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches and Apostolic Nunzio to the United States
- Archbishop Christophe Pierre
During a gathering at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Francis called for prayers for the future cardinals to help him in his service to the Church before bidding farewell.
Who is cardinal-elect Sebastian Francis?
According to Vatican News, Francis hails from Johor Bahru and completed his studies in Philosophy and Theology at the Major Seminary in Penang.
He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Malacca-Johor on 28 July 1977.
Francis has also studied in Rome, receiving a licentiate in Dogmatic Theology from the Angelicum.
After several other pastoral assignments, he also earned a Law Degree in 1991 and furthered his studies at Maryknoll School of Theology in New York.
On 7 July 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as Bishop of Penang and he was ordained on 20 August with 10,000 Catholics in attendance.
Since 1 January 2017, he has been president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
