By Catholic News Agency
The newest — and first — cardinal-elect of East Timor says he was completely surprised by his appointment by Pope Francis last weekend.
“When I heard this news, I was so shocked I almost fainted,” Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva told reporters. “I never dreamed of this, and I never looked for it.”
Pope Francis on Sunday announced the names of 21 men who will be created cardinals at a consistory in August. At age 54, soon-to-be Cardinal da Silva could be eligible to vote in conclaves for 26 years.
President Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor paid a courtesy call to congratulate Cardinal-elect da Silva, who leads the Archdiocese of Dili.
East Timor, or Timor-Leste, occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor, which it shares with Indonesia.
The population of the country, that was colonised by Portugal, is nearly 98 per cent Catholic and very youthful — approximately 40 per cent of the population is below the age of 15. The country’s median age is 20.
Cardinal-elect da Silva, a priest of the Salesians of St. John Bosco, has led the local Church of Dili since 2016 as a bishop; he became an archbishop when the see was raised to an archdiocese in 2019. He serves as vice president of the national bishops’ conference.
He made perpetual vows in 1997 and was ordained a priest the following year.
He said he views his elevation as a blessing for the heavily Catholic country, which recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the restoration of its independence.
Pope Francis has expressed interest in visiting the region in person.
In an interview last October, the Pope said that in 2022 he would like to make trips to Papua New Guinea and East Timor, which had been planned for late 2020 before they were cancelled because of the pandemic.
