Pope Leo XIV Appoints South Africa’s Cardinal Brislin to Vatican Dicastery for the Clergy

Johannesburg, 28 August, 2025 / 8:12 PM

Pope Leo XIV has appointed members to the Vatican Dicastery for the Clergy, including Stephen Cardinal Brislin of the Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg in South Africa.

The appointment of Cardinal Brislin and other members of the Dicastery was made public by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday, August 28.

Born in Welkom in September 1956, Cardinal Brislin has been at the helm of the Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg following his transfer from the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town in October 2024.

The South African Church leader was ordained a Priest in November 1983. In October 2006, he was appointed Bishop of Kroonstad Catholic Diocese in South Africa and Consecrated Bishop in January 2007. 

Three years later, he was appointed Local Ordinary of Cape Town Archdiocese. He was among the 21 Cardinals that the late Pope Francis named after reciting the Angelus prayer on 9 July 2023 and created Cardinal during the 30 September 2023 Consistory.

in South Africa following his transfer from the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town in October 2024 

Cardinal Brislin’s Coat-of-Arms expresses his motto Veritas in Caritate – truth in love, taken from Ephesians 4:15. The center is the empty cross of the resurrected Christ, from which all life comes. The rising sun is the promise of eternal life.

The brown represents the dryness of certain parts of the Free State, where the Archbishop has his roots, and also represents life without Christ since fruitfulness and life come through the cross. This life is depicted by the people, the Acacia tree, the maize, the wheat, and the grapes – also representing the Western Cape and reminding us of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Basotho hat reflects the majority of the people to whom the Cardinal ministered and also the “crown” of Kroonstad. The thistle represents the maternal roots of the South African Cardinal, namely Scotland. The shamrock represents the paternal roots of the Cardinal, namely, Ireland.

Other key Papal appointees to the Vatican Dicastery headed by Lazzaro Cardinal You Heung-sik are Luis Antonio Gokim Cardinal Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches; Jean-Marc Noël Cardinal Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille in France, and Virgilio Cardinal do Carmo da Silva, Archbishop of Díli (Timor-Leste).

Others are Frank Cardinal Leo, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada); José Tolentino Cardinal Calaça de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Mario Cardinal Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod; Arthur Cardinal Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments amongst others.