DILI, 30 may 2022 (TATOLI)-Pope Francis named on may 29 that he will create 21 new cardinals, including Virgílio do Carmo da Silva of the Archdiocese of Dili, Timor-Leste.
Holy Father announced that, during a consistory in the Vatican, on august 27, he will elevate 21 figures of the Roman Catholic Church to the cardinal dignity.
Seeing Archbishop Silva’s name on the list of Pope Francis’ new cardinals was a big surprise for Asia’s most populous Catholic nation after the Philippines.
Many Timorese took to the social media to congratulate Archbishop Silva after his name was announced by Holy Father.
The announcement made him be the first Timor-Leste’s Archbishops to be included in the top officials of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy around the world.
Archbishop Silva will be installed as one of the Roman Catholic top officials at a ceremony known as a consistory on agusut 27.
Virgílio do Carmo da Silva was appointed as the Bishop of Dili on january 30, 2016, to replace Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva who passed away on April 2, 2015.
The other prelates under the age of 80 are:
• Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline, of Marseille (France).
• Archbishop Peter Okpaleke, of Ekwulobia (Nigeria).
• Archbishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, of Manaus (Brazil).
• Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião of Rosário Ferrão, of Goa e Damão (India).
• Bishop Robert Walter McElroy, of San Diego (U.S.A.).
• 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).
• Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr M. Afr, of Wa (Ghana).
• Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye, of Singapore (Singapore).
• Archbishop Adalberto Martínez Flores, of Asunción (Paraguay).
• Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, Prefect of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
The five who are over the age of 80 are:
• 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. – Professor of Theology.
• Monsignor Fortunato Frezza, canon of St. Peter’s.
Journalist: Camilo de Sousa
Editor: Nelia Borges
