Pope Francis appoints Cardinal Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa, as a new member of the Council of Cardinals.

By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis’ latest appointment to the Council of Cardinals brings an African perspective to the table.

Cardinal Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the most recent addition to the group of Cardinal Advisors tasked with assisting the Pope in the government of the Universal Church and in the drafting and revision of the new Apostolic Constitution that will replace the Constitution Pastor Bonus promulgated by Pope Saint John Paul II.

With the addition of Cardinal Besungu, there are now seven members in the group. Africa used to be represented by Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya who left the Council at the end of 2018, together with Cardinals Pell and Errazuriz Ossa.

The other Cardinal Advisors have been confirmed. They are: Cardinals Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa (Honduras) and coordinator of the group; Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin; Seán Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston (USA); Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay (India); Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of München und Freising (Federal Republic of Germany); and Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

The Pope also appointed Bishop Marco Mellino as the new Secretary of the Council of Cardinals, in the place of Bishop Marcello Semeraro who has been appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.