Pope names 21 new cardinals, including 2 from Asia

Pope Francis announced the election of 21 new cardinals on July 9; two of them are from Asia.

On September 30, the Vatican will host the Consistory for the creation of new cardinals from all around the world.

The two new Asian cardinals-elect are Bishop Sebastian Francis of Penang, Malaysia, and Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan SJ of Hong Kong.

Bishop Francis was born on November 11, 1951. He was ordained a priest on July 28, 1977, for the Melaka-Johor diocese, Malaysia. He was appointed bishop of Penang on July 7, 2012, and ordained bishop on August 20, 2012.

He has been a priest for over 45 years and a bishop for over 10 years.

Currently, he is the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei (CBCMSB). He is also the chairman of the Office of Social Communication-Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).

The prelate will be the second cardinal in Malaysia. The first Cardinal of Malaysia was Anthony Soter Fernandez (April 22, 1932–October 28, 2020), former Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.

Bishop Chow Sau-Yan was born in Hong Kong in 1959. He entered the Society of Jesus, had novitiate training in Ireland, and was ordained a priest in Hong Kong on July 16, 1994.

On May 17, 2021, Pope Francis appointed him as the Bishop of Hong Kong, and his episcopal ordination was on December 4, 2021.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Philosophy (double majors), University of Minnesota, Duluth, 1982; Master of Arts in Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Duluth, 1984; and Licentiate in Philosophy (Lic. Phil.), Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Dublin, 1988.

He completed his Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.), Holy Spirit Seminary College, Hong Kong, 1993, and his Doctor of Education (Ed. D.), Harvard University, 2006.

He was honorary assistant professor, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, 2007-2014; school supervisor and Chairman of the School/Incorporated Management Committee of Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, and Wah Yan College, Kowloon, 2007-2021. He has been a guest professor, Holy Spirit Seminary College of Theology and Philosophy, Hong Kong, since 2012.

Prior to his appointment as a bishop, he was the provincial superior, Chinese Province, Society of Jesus, 2018–2021.

The second cardinal of Hong Kong will be Chow Sau-Yan.

Joseph Zen Ze-kiun SDB, who served as the sixth Bishop of Hong Kong, is the first cardinal from Hong Kong. 

The full list of future Cardinals:

Archbishop Robert Francis PREVOST, O.S.A., Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops

Archbishop Claudio GUGEROTTI, Prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches

Archbishop Víctor Manuel FERNÁNDEZ, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

Archbishop Emil Paul TSCHERRIG, Apostolic Nunzio

Archbishop Christophe Louis Yves Georges PIERRE, Apostolic Nunzio

Archbishop Pierbattista PIZZABALLA, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Archbishop Stephen BRISLIN, Archbishop of Capetown (Kaapstad)

Archbishop Ángel Sixto ROSSI, S.J., Archbishop of Córdoba

Archbishop Luis José RUEDA APARICIO, Archbishop of Bogotá

Archbishop Grzegorz RYŚ, Archbishop of Łódź

Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin MULLA, Archbishop of Juba

Archbishop José COBO CANO, Archbishop of Madrid

Archbishop Protase RUGAMBWA, Coadjutor Archbishop of Tabora

Bishop Sebastian FRANCIS, Bishop of Penang

Bishop Stephen CHOW SAU-YAN, S.J., Bishop of Hong Kong

Bishop François-Xavier BUSTILLO, O.F.M. Conv., Bishop of Ajaccio

Bishop Américo Manuel ALVES AGUIAR, Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon

Reverend Ángel FERNÁNDEZ ARTIME, s.d.b., Rector Major of the Salesians

Archbishop Diego Rafael PADRÓN SÁNCHEZ, Archbishop Emeritus of Cumaná

Father Luis Pascual DRI, OFM Cap., Confessor of the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei, Buenos Aires. -Santosh Digal, with reports from Vatican News