The President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) says the Cardinal Elect “is one of the senior Bishops of the SACBC with proven pastoral experience and sharp insight into social challenges and complex political situations. We have no doubt he will make the needed contribution to the task for which the Pope has appointed him.”

In the Monday, July 10 statement, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka congratulates the Archbishop of Cape Town Stephen Brislin for his appointment as Cardinal Elect of Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa – the three countries that make up the SACBC.

“As a Conference, we are happy that the Pope has recognised the gifts of Cardinal-elect Brislin and availed them for the larger Church by appointing him a Cardinal,” says Bishop Sipuka.

Pope Francis at the end of his Sunday Angelus address, announced a consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals from around the world to be held at the Vatican on 30 September 2023.

“Let us pray for the new Cardinals, so that, confirming their adhesion to Christ, the merciful and faithful High Priest, they might help me in my ministry as Bishop of Rome for the good of the entire Holy People faithful to God,” said Pope Francis at the end of the Sunday Angelus on 9 July.

In the July 10 statement, Bishop Sipuka notes “that the primary role of Cardinals is to advise the Pope” on matters related to peacebuilding and “being attentive to issues vitiating against human dignity and the integrity of creation.”

“History has also assigned the papacy the role of facilitating peace in the world and being attentive to issues vitiating against human dignity and the integrity of creation… One thing we know is that the primary role of Cardinals is to advise the Pope in these two huge and complex responsibilities,” says Bishop Sipuka.

The SACBC President goes on to describe the Cardinal Elect as a Wiseman who has a “rare gift of combining gentleness with firmness.”

“Cardinal-elect Brislin has a rare gift of combining gentleness with firmness. He has clarity of mind that enables him to give a succinct resume of issues with penetrating insights and wisdom. He presents a good balance between the teaching of the Church and pastoral sensitivity,” he says.

He continues, “These qualities saw him being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Pastoral Leadership by the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas, USA, in May this year. The Cardinal elect can do all this with a simple disposition, friendly and welcoming, and with a sense of humour and impeccable knowledge of the Sesotho language.”

In his concluding remarks, Bishop Sipuka assures the Cardinal-elect Brislin of prayers and support, “Although Cardinal Napier has reached the age of 80, which makes him unable to be part of the Cardinals that elect the new Pope, he remains active as the advisor of the Pope.”

“With the appointment of Archbishop Brislin, it is a joy for the Conference to assist the Holy Father through the two Cardinals. We congratulate Cardinal-elect Brislin and assure him of our prayers and support as he takes on this new service for the Church,” says Bishop Sipuka in the Monday, July 10 statement.