Cape Town, 09 July, 2023 / 9:05 pm (ACI Africa).
Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town in South Africa, one of the three Africans named Cardinals on Sunday, July 9 says he is “surprised” by his naming.
“I have been taken by surprise and to be honest I feel quite confused and bewildered at the moment,” the South African Cardinal-elect says in an audio message shared with the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC).
Reflecting on his new status in the Church, the South African Catholic Archbishop says, “The Cardinal is a person who is associated with the Pope and is a representative of the Church.”
He continues, “I could only hope and pray that I will follow the good example that has been set by the Cardinals of South Africa.”
Owen Cardinal McCann and Wilfrid Cardinal Napier, he further says, “always gave extreme service not only to the Church in Southern Africa but also to society itself and for the good of the country.”
