Bishop of Wa Diocese to be Appointed as Cardinal In August

Pope Francis announced on Sunday, 29th May, 2022 that he would appoint 21 new cardinals in August, including a Ghanaian the Bishop of the Wa Diocese, Most Rev. Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr.

Out of the 21, 16 are cardinal electors under 80 years old and thus eligible to enter a conclave to elect his successor after his death or resignation.

After the Aug. 27 ceremony to officially install them, known as a consistory, Francis will have appointed about 83 of some 133 cardinal electors, increasing the possibility his successor will be a man reflecting his position on key issues.

The new electors include Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, an Italian who is currently the Catholic Church’s administrator in Mongolia. The country borders with China, where the Vatican is trying to improve the situation for Catholics.

Other cardinal electors come from France, Nigeria, Brazil, India, the United States, East Timor, Italy, Ghana, Singapore, and Paraguay.

Once again, Francis passed over archbishops of major cities that traditionally had cardinals before his election in 2013, preferring to appoint men in far-flung places where the Church is small or growing.

Below is the list of cardinals to be appointed.

Here are the names of the new cardinals:

Artur Roche, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Lazzaro You Heung Sik, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

Fernando Vergez, President of the Governorate SCV

Jean-Marc Noël Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille

Peter Ebere Okpaleke, Bishop of Ekwulobia (Nigeria)

Leonardo Ullrich, Archbishop of Manaus

Blacks António Sebastião Filipe do Rosário Ferrão Archbishop of Goa (India)

Robert McElroy, Archbishop of San Diego

Virgilio do Carmo Da Silva, Archbishop of East Timor

Oscar Cantoni, Bishop of Como