IT WAS no ordinary day for the Penang Catholic Diocese when it celebrated the elevation of Datuk Seri Sebastian Francis as a cardinal by the Vatican with a thanksgiving mass.
Sebastian is now respectfully referred to as “His Eminence Cardinal” given his induction into the Sacred College of Cardinals, which holds the exclusive right to elect the pope.
The Johor-born cleric was the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Penang before his elevation to the rank of cardinal of the Roman Catholic Order, which decided on it last year.
On July 9, 2023, Pope Francis announced that he planned to make Sebastian a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for last September.
At that consistory, Pope Francis made him a cardinal priest, assigning him as the 'Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Causa Nostrae Laetitiae'.
Sebastian is also the chairman of the Office of Social Communication (OSC) of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) since 2023.
An active official on all matters about the diocese in Penang, he is a strong advocate for the empowerment of the youth.
He celebrated mass together with Cardinal Giorgio Marengo of Mongolia during a solemn thanksgiving mass at the Minor Basilica of St Anne in Bukit Mertajam.
Many other members of the clergy comprising bishops and priests were also in attendance, as were former federal ministers Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Lim Guan Eng.
The state government was represented by state executive councillors Lim Siew Khim and Daniel Gooi Zi Sen.
The guests were later treated to a dinner reception on the basilica’s grounds. – The Vibes, January 14, 2024
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