In a ceremony at the Vatican to take place 27 August, the pope will give the 21 men their ring and traditional red hat, known as a biretta.

Carmo da Silva, who has served as archbishop of Dili since September 2019, became the first Timorese to be appointed to the College of Cardinals.

Hours after the announcement, Timor-Leste’s Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães congratulated Archbishop da Silva on behalf of the government on his appointment.

“For this so honourable distinction, that represents an enormous pride for all Timorese people,” Magalhães said in a statement, adding that Silva’s appointment “constitutes a deserved recognition of his work and his human qualities.”

Asian Catholic commentator, Siktus Harson, writing in ucanews on Friday, said Timor-Leste’s first cardinal “will open doors for the country.”

“The latest choice of cardinals shows the importance the pope places on peripheral churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America while moving away from a Euro-centric decision-making system,” said Harson.

“It both strengthens the people’s faith in the Catholic Church and may improve Timor-Leste’s influence in global affairs,” he said.

As a member of the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Da Silva is now part of a group that helps Pope Francis manage the universal church with over 1.3 billion Catholics. When the time comes, he will participate in electing a new pope during a conclave.