Audio By Carbonatix
A South African archbishop who has just been promoted to a cardinal by Pope Francis has expressed bewilderment and confusion about his upcoming ascension to one of the top ranks of the Catholic Church.
"I have been taken by surprise and to be honest - I feel quite confused and bewildered at the moment,” Archbishop Stephen Brislin from Cape Town said.
He added that he hoped he could follow the good example of previous cardinals.
His comments come after the pope appointed 21 new cardinals, three of whom are African.
The others are Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, South Sudan and Archbishop Protase Rugambwa of Tabora Archdiocese in Tanzania.
There've been calls for greater African representation in the Catholic church.
It was highlighted in January that none of the continent's cardinals hold major offices within the institution.
The ceremony to install the new cardinals is set to take place at the end of September.
Latest Stories
-
Gunmen abduct seven students in northwest Nigeria, police say
1 hour -
Libyans block off UN refugee office in protest against migrants
1 hour -
China cracks down on violence and misogyny in viral micro dramas
1 hour -
Starmer accuses Musk of trying to whip up division over Henry Nowak murder
2 hours -
African migrants flee into the mountains as South Africa’s xenophobic violence surges
2 hours -
Nigeria’s Dangote refinery tops 700,000 barrels a day in test
2 hours -
Mali offers millions for information on attackers
2 hours -
Congo reports attack on Ebola burial team as cases rise
2 hours -
Oil little changed on uncertainty over US-Iran peace deal
2 hours -
Steven Spielberg believes we will discover aliens in our lifetime
4 hours -
Marilyn Monroe auction features star’s make-up and gowns on 100th birthday
4 hours -
Andrew was sub-letting Royal Lodge cottages, watchdog reveals
5 hours -
‘World-first’ vaccine designed by artificial intelligence
5 hours -
Zelensky proposes face-to-face talks in open letter to Putin
5 hours -
Ex-wife of Dubai ruler’s nephew in custody, prosecutors say
5 hours