Words of the Holy Father

Brief biographies of the cardinals to be created

Words of the Holy Father

During today’s Regina Coeli, the Holy Father Francis announced that a Consistory will take place for the creation of new cardinals. The following are the Pope’s words:

I wish to announce that on Wednesday 28 June a Consistory will be held to appoint five new Cardinals. Their provenance from different parts of the world manifests the catholicity of the Church, which reaches all around the earth, and the assignment of a title or a diaconate in the city expresses the Cardinals’ belonging to the diocese of Rome that, according to the well-known expression of Saint Ignatius, presides in charity over all the Churches.

And on Thursday 29 June, Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, I will concelebrate Holy Mass with the new Cardinals, with the College of Cardinals, with the new Bishops, the Metropolitans, the Bishops and some presbyters.

Here are the names of the new cardinals:

1. His Excellency Msgr. Jean Zerbo, archbishop of Bamako, in Mali;

2. His Excellency Msgr. Juan Jose Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain;

3. His Excellency Msgr. Anders Arborelius, O.C.D., bishop of Stockholm, Sweden;

4. His Excellency Msgr. Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, titular bishop of Acque Nuove di Proconsolare, apostolic vicar of Pakse, in Laos; and

5. His Excellency Msgr. Gregorio Rosa Chavez, titular bishop of Mulli, auxiliary of the archdiocese of San Salvador, El Salvador.

Let us commend the new Cardinals to the protection of Saints Peter and Paul, so that by the intercession of the Prince of the Apostles, they may be genuine servants of ecclesial communion, and by that of the Apostle to the Gentiles, may be joyful heralds of the Gospel throughout the world and, with their testimony and their counsel, they may support me more intensely in my service as Bishop of Rome, universal Pastor of the Church.

Brief biographies of the cardinals to be created

1. Msgr. Jean Zerbo – Archbishop of Bamako – Mali;

Msgr. Jean Zerbo was born in Segou on 27 December 1943.
His priestly ordination took place on 10 July 1971, in Segou.
Part of his higher formation was carried out in Lyon.
He graduated from the Biblical Institute in Rome, where he obtained a licentiate in sacred scripture (1977-1981).
From 1982, for several years, he worked as a parish priest in Markala and as a lecturer at the major seminary of Bamako.
He was appointed as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Bamako on 21 June 1988.
On 19 December 1994 he was transferred, as titular bishop, to the diocese of Mopti.
On 27 June 1998 he was appointed archbishop of Bamako.
He has played an active role in the peace negotiations in Mali.
He has been involved in the fight against exclusion and, above all, has promoted reconciliation and solidarity among Malians.

2. Msgr. Juan José Omella – Archbishop of Barcelona – Spain;

Msgr. Juan José Omella was born in Cretas on 21 April 1946.
He completed his studies in philosophy and theology at the seminary of Zaragoza and at the personal formation centre of the White Fathers in Leuven and in Jerusalem. His priestly ordination took place on 20 September 1970.
In his priestly ministry, he worked as a coadjutor (deputy priest) and parish priest between 1990 and 1996, and as episcopal vicar for the diocese of Zaragoza.
He was a missionary in Zaire for one year.
On 15 July 1996 he was appointed as auxiliary bishop of Zaragoza.
On 27 October 1999 he was appointed as bishop of  the diocese of Barbastro-Monzón.
From 24 August 2001 to 19 December 2003 he served as apostolic administrator of Huesca and from 19 October 2001 to 19 December 2003, also apostolic administrator of Jaca.
On 8 April 2004 he was appointed bishop of the diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logrorio.
On 6 November 2014, the Holy See published his appointment as member of the Congregation for Bishops.
On 26 December he became archbishop of Barcelona.
He served as member of the Episcopal commission for social pastoral ministry until 1996, and as president from 2002 to 2008, and again from 2014 to 2017.
He has also been a member of the Episcopal Pastoral Commission (1996-1999), and the Commission for the Lay Apostolate (1999-2002 / 2008-2011).
In the CEE he has been a member of the Executive Committee since 14 March 2017.

3. Msgr. Anders Arborelius, O.C.D. – Bishop of Stockholm – Sweden;

Msgr. Anders Arborelius, O.C.D., was born in Sorengo on 24 September 1949.
He converted to Catholicism at the age of 20.
In 1971 he entered the Order of the Discalced Carmelite Fathers in Norraby, and gave his perpetual vows in Bruges, Belgium in 1977.
He carried out his studies in philosophy and theology in Belgium and at the Teresianum in Rome.
At the same time he studied modern languages at the University of Lund.
On 8 September 1979 he was ordained a priest in Malmö.
On 29 December 1998 he was consecrated a bishop at the Catholic cathedral of Stockholm. He thus became the first catholic bishop of Sweden, of Swedish origin, since the time of the Lutheran Reformation in 1500.
From 2005 to 2015 he was president of the Episcopal Conference of Scandinavia, while in 2015 he was elected vice-president.
He was appointed as member of the Commission of the Presidency of the Pontifical Council for the Family from 2002 to 2009.
On 21 January he was appointed as consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

4. Msgr. Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun – Apostolic vicar of Pakse – Laos

Msgr. Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun was born on 8 April 1944 in Laos.
He completed his academic formation in Laos and in Canada.
He was ordained a priest on 5 November 1972 at the apostolic vicariate of Vientiane.
He speaks Khmu, Laotian, French and English.
He is responsible for the “school of catechists” and the visits to mountain villages.
In 1975 he was appointed as parish priest and pro-vicar of the apostolic vicar of Vientiane.
On 30 October he was appointed as apostolic vicar of Pakse and received episcopal consecration on 22 April 2001.
On 2 February 2017, he was appointed as apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of Vientiane.

5. His Excellency Msgr. Gregorio Rosa Chávez – Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Salvador – El Salvador.

Msgr. Gregorio Rosa Chávez was born in Sociedad on 3 September 1942.
He carried out his philosophical and theological studies at the San José de la Montaña Central Seminary in San Salvador (1962-1964; 1966-1969).
He studied at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium (1973-1976), after obtaining a licentiate in social communication.
He speaks French and has a general knowledge of English, Portuguese and Italian.
In 1965 he served in the minor seminary of the diocese of San Miguel.
He was ordained a priest on 24 January 1970 at the Cathedral of San Miguel, in Salvador, with the imposition of the hands of Msgr. José Eduardo Alvarez Ramírez, C.M., bishop of San Miguel, and has served as episcopal secretary of the diocese of San Miguel (1970-1973); and pastor of the Church of the Rosary, in the city of San Miguel (1970-1973). He is director of social media in the diocese of San Miguel: Radio Paz e Semanario Chaparrastique from 1971-1973; spiritual assistant of various associations and movements of the lay apostolate (1970-1973); rector of the San José de la Montaña Central Seminary in San Salvador (1977-1982); member of the board of the Organization of Seminaries of Latin America (1979-1982).
He was appointed as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of San Salvador on 3 July 1982.
He is currently parish priest of the Church of San Francisco in San Salvador, and president of Caritas for Latin America and the Caribbean and of the national Caritas.