“It will be painful to leave them”: South Africa’s Newest Cardinal Reacts to His Transfer from Cape Town Archdiocese

“I leave Cape Town, I certainly look forward to my new appointment,” he says about the latest administrative changes in South Africa that saw the Holy Father accept the retirement of Archbishop Buti. 

Following the October 28 administrative changes, Archbishop Buti, who turned 75 in December 2022 after shepherding the people of God in Johannesburg Archdiocese since his installation in June 2003 following his transfer from South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Bloemfontein, where he started his Episcopal Ministry in April 1999 welcomed his successor in writing. 

In his  letter addressed to the people of God in Johannesburg Archdiocese, Archbishop Buti “warmly” welcomed his successor “with open arms”, saying that the Cardinal himself will  set the date for his installation, which “will be duly communicated to the entire Archdiocese.”

In the video recording posted on YouTube on November 8, Cardinal Brislin says that the transition has been announced during a busy period in the liturgical calendar.

He explains that while such new appointments are to be assumed within a couple of months, previously planned pastoral activities have prompted him to request “an additional month”.

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“Considering the time of year, confirmation season, I have many pending confirmations in Cape Town,” the Cardinal says. 

Planned liturgical celebrations during Advent, the Consistory to take place in Rome in December that the Cardinal is scheduled to attend, and the following Christmas Season all combine to justify his request to delay his installation celebration.

He says, “I wrote a letter to the Dicastery of Evangelization to request that I be given an extra month to effect the appointment. So, we’re looking towards the end of January, probably around the plenary session of January 2025.”

In the video recording, the 68-year-old South African Cardinal also weighs in on an added responsibility in his Episcopal Ministry, having been recently elected President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), the common forum of the Catholic Bishops of Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa and “others equivalent in Canon Law” to Diocesan Bishops.

“When I was appointed to Johannesburg, I wondered if I should approach the Bishops’ Conference and suggest that perhaps it would be better for someone else to take over the presidency,” he says about his new SACBC Presidency role that he is to assume at the conclusion of the January 2025 Plenary Assembly.

The Cardinal says that going forward in his multiple Episcopal responsibilities, he counts on the support he has received from the people of God over the years.

He says, “My experiences have always shown me a great deal of support from the Priests, the people, and the Religious. It would, I think, be a mistake to doubt that I’ll receive the same support and encouragement from the Catholic community in Johannesburg.”

“I believe my first priority is to listen, my second priority is to learn, and my third priority is to enter into dialogue and discussion on the issues that the people of Johannesburg themselves see as priorities and areas we should focus on,” Cardinal Brislin adds in the video recording posted on YouTube on November 8. 

He adds, “I look forward to getting to know the Catholic community of Johannesburg, to familiarizing myself with the Parishes and the Priests, and to trying to work together to continue the very good work that Archbishop Tlhagale has been doing.”

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