The 6 new cardinals from East Timor, India, Mongolia, Singapore and South Korea

Pope Francis on May 29 appointed 21 new cardinals including five from Asia—East Timor, India, Mongolia, Singapore and South Korea.

The new cardinal-elects from Asia include Archbishop Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva of Dili (East Timor), Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião of Rosário Ferrão of Goa and Damão (India), Archbishop Anthony Poola, of Hyderabad (India), Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye of Singapore and Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, Prefect of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and Archbishop Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy (South Korea).

Archbishop Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva of Dili (East Timor)
The 55-year Archbishop Da Silva, a member of Salesians of Saint John Bosco, was born on Nov 27, 1967. He was ordained a priest on December 18, 1998. He was appointed Bishop of Deli on January 30, 2016, and Archbishop on September 11, 2019.
 
He will be the first cardinal from East Timor, Asia’s youngest nation. Last May 20, 2022, it celebrated its 20 years of Independence from Indonesia. 
 
East Timor comprises the eastern half of Timor Island, the western half of which is part of Indonesia. It spans a 15,000 square km (5,792 square miles) land area–slightly smaller than Israel–and its 1.3 million people are predominantly Catholic or 97 percent of the population is Catholics.
 
There are three dioceses—Dili, Baucau, and Maliana. Pope Francis is to visit the country this year, though the actual dates are yet to be announced. 

Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião di Rosário Ferrão of Gao and Daman (India)
Archbishop Ferrão was born on January 20, 1953, in Aldona in Goa, western India. He was ordained a priest on October 28, 1979. On December 20, 1993, he was appointed the auxiliary bishop of Goa and Daman. On December 12, 2003, he was promoted as the archbishop of Goa and Daman and patriarch of the East Indies. Currently, he is the president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.

"It is a moment of grace for the Church in Goa and a day written in gold letters for all Goans as our very own Archbishop is elevated to the mission and honour of a Cardinal in the Church. We rejoice and pray for immense spiritual gifts and graces for the Church in Goa as well as India under his illustrious leadership," said Father Victor Ferrao, a priest from the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and professor of philosophy. 

Archbishop Anthony Poola of Hyderabad (India)
The 61-year-old Archbishop Poola was born in a Dalit Catholic family in Chindhur in Kurnool. 
 
He will also be the first Telugu cardinal. He was ordained a priest on February 20, 1992, and appointed bishop of Kurnool in February 2008. He was promoted as Hyderabad Archbishop in 2021.
 
Carmelite Sister Manju Devarapalli, National Secretary of National Dalit Christian Watch, said, “It is a cause of pride and joy for Dalits of the Telugu States who have been requesting the Vatican for so long.”
 
“Not just Telugu States but the entire Dalit community of India is looking up to him for identifying with their struggles and dreams,” said the activist-lawyer nun, who is based in Hyderabad. 

Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye of Singapore 
The 65-year-old prelate was born on June 25, 1957, and ordained a priest on May 1, 1985. He was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop on December 29, 2012, and succeeded as archbishop on August 20, 2013.
 
The city-state’s diverse population includes ethnic Chinese, Malays, Indians, and other races. In other words, Singapore is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation. Most Chinese are Buddhists and most Malays are Muslims. Christians make up about 15 percent of the population.
 
The Archdiocese of Singapore, which covers the entire island, has about 360,000 Catholics in 32 parishes, out of a population of 5.7 million. 

“We rejoice with all our brethren on the news of Archbishop William Goh’s elevation to the Cardinalate. As we give thanks to God, let us also pray for His Grace as he prepares to take on his new mission of assisting the Pope in governing the Universal Church. May the Lord grant Archbishop Goh the humility, wisdom, and holiness as he assumes his new responsibility,” said a parishioner from Church of the Sacred Heart, Singapore.

The Archdiocese of Singapore is honoured to have their Archbishop William Goh elevated to the Cardinalate. He is deeply humbled by this new appointment of Pope Francis.

"However, Archbishop William is conscious that this honour and new responsibility conferred on him is also a recognition of the contribution of the faithful in the archdiocese for helping him to build a vibrant, evangelising and missionary church," said a statement from Archbishop’s Communications Office on May 29.
 
“This appointment calls for him to serve not just the archdiocese of Singapore; he will be expected to assist the Holy Father in the task of governing the Universal Church. Cardinal-elect William Goh asks for your prayers so that he can assume this responsibility with humility, wisdom and holiness,” the statement added.
 

Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, Prefect of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
The Italian-born Archbishop was born on June 7, 1974. He was ordained a priest on May 26, 2001, as a member of Consolata Missionaries. He was appointed as the Prefect of Ulaanbaatar on April 2, 2020.
 
He succeeded the late Bishop Wenceslaus Padilla, who was the founder of the local church in Mongolia. Padilla, a Filipino, served the church for two decades.

In Mongolia which borders China, there are about 1,400 Catholics in the central Asian country that hosts eight parishes. Most Catholics are the first and second generations who have embraced the faith. The country’s population is over 3 million. Thirty percent of the population is nomadic. 

The first Mongolian priest was ordained in 2016 and the second local priest was ordained in October 2021. The diplomatic relations between Vatican and Mongolia exist for the last 30 years. 

Archbishop Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy (South Korea)

Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik was born on Nov. 17, 1951, in Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do province, South Korea. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 8, 1979, and appointed as coadjutor bishop of Daejeon on June 24, 2003. He became the bishop of Daejeon on Apr. 1, 2005.

He was the president of the Committee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Foreign Residents Living in Korea and the subcommittee for the Pastoral Care for Pilgrimages and Shrine of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK). Also, he was a member of the Episcopal Commission for Clergy and Religious, Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs and Special Episcopal Commission to Promote Beatification and Canonization of the CBCK.

He is a member of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum since Apr. 24, 2007.

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik of Daejeon as the new prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy on June 11, 2021. - With inputs from UCA News