Pope Francis at the end of his Sunday Angelus address, announced the creation of 21 new cardinals.

“I am happy to announce that on 30 September I will hold a Consistory for the appointment of new Cardinals,” said Pope Francis towards the end of the Sunday Angelus on July 9.

The Cardinal-elects hail from around the world. Among them is the spokesperson of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town Archdiocese.

In his reaction to the appointment, the Cardinal Elect said the appointment came as a surprise and that he feels “quite confused and bewildered at the moment.”

The 66-year-old Prelate went on to say that he would like to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors Cardinal Owen McCann and Cardinal Wilfrid Napier “who always gave excellent service not only to the Church of Southern Africa, but also to society itself and to the good of the country.”

Since his priestly ordination on 19 November 1983, the Cardinal-Elect has served as Bishop of Kroonstad from 28 January 2007 to 2010 when he was appointed Archbishop of Cape Town. In 2013 he was elected President of the SACBC.