{{Short description|Malaysian cardinal and bishop}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = | name = Sebastian Francis | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=MYS|size=100%|DGPN|DSPN}} | title = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]], [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang|Bishop of Penang]] | image = Sebastian Francis.jpg | alt = | caption = | church = [[Catholic Church]] | archdiocese = | diocese = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang|Penang]] | see = | appointed = 7 July 2011 | enthroned = 19 August 2011 | predecessor = [[Antony Selvanayagam]] | successor = | other_post = Cardinal Priest of [[Santa Maria Causa Nostrae Laetitiae]] (2023{{nbnd}}present) <!-- Orders --> | ordination = 28 July 1977 | ordained_by = | consecration = 19 August 2011 | consecrated_by = [[Murphy Pakiam]] | cardinal = 30 September 2023 | created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Francis|Francis]] | rank = [[Cardinal priest]] <!-- Personal details --> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|11|11|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Johor Bahru]], [[Johor]], [[Federation of Malaya]] | death_date = | death_place = | previous_post = {{indented plainlist| *President of the [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei]] (2016{{nbnd}}2023) *Vicar General of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Malacca–Johor|Diocese of Malacca–Johor]] (1999{{nbnd}}2001, 2003{{nbnd}}2011)}} | education = {{indented plainlist| * [[College General]] * [[Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas]] * [[Maryknoll|Maryknoll School of Theology]] }} | motto = {{langnf|la|Fiat voluntas tua|Thy will be done|break=yes}} | coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Sebastian Francis (cardinal).svg | honorific_prefix = [[His Eminence]]<br> [[Malay styles and titles#Dato|Dato' Seri]] }} {{Infobox cardinalstyles | name = Sebastian Francis | dipstyle = [[His Eminence]] | offstyle = [[His Eminence|Your Eminence]] | relstyle = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] | image = Coat of arms of Sebastian Francis (cardinal).svg | image_size = 200px }} [[Malay styles and titles#Dato|Dato' Seri]] '''Sebastian Francis''' (born 11 November 1951) is a [[Catholic Church in Malaysia|Malaysian Catholic]] prelate who has served as [[Diocese of Penang|Bishop of Penang]] since 2011. [[Pope Francis]] elevated him to the rank of [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] in 2023. He is the second cardinal from Malaysia, after [[Anthony Soter Fernandez]].
==Early life and education == Sebastian Francis was born on 11 November 1951, in [[Johor Bahru]], which was then part of the [[Federation of Malaya]]. His grandparents had emigrated from [[India]]'s [[Thrissur]] district (formerly known as Trichur) in [[Kerala]] to [[Malaysia]] in the 1890s during [[British rule in Malaysia|British rule]]. His family belonged to the Mechery family of [[Ollur]] in Thrissur. Francis grew up in Malaysia, where his family included five brothers and four sisters, all of whom became [[Malaysian citizenship|Malaysian citizens]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mattersindia.com/2017/06/malaysian-bishop-searches-roots-n-kerala|title=Malaysian bishop searches roots in Kerala |date=21 June 2017|accessdate=26 March 2023|website=Matters India}}</ref>
From 1958 to 1963, Francis received his primary education at St. Joseph's Primary School in [[Johor Bahru]], which was run by the [[Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel|Brothers of St. Gabriel]]. From 1964 to 1967, he attended [[Montfort Secondary School]] in Singapore, also managed by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, where he completed his [[secondary education]] up to the [[Senior Cambridge]] level. Between 1964 and 1966, Francis joined the Juniorate of the Brothers of St. Gabriel in Singapore and lived in community with the Brothers. In 1967, he successfully passed the Senior Cambridge examination in Singapore.
==Priesthood== Francis entered Saint Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in [[Singapore]] in 1967 and enrolled in the [[College General]], a major seminary in [[Penang]], three years later, where he studied theology.<ref name="fides"/> At the age of 26, he was ordained a priest for the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Melaka-Johor|Diocese of Melaka-Johor]] on 28 July 1977.<ref name="fides"/>
He was parish vicar of St. Francis Xavier in [[Malacca]] from 1977 to 1981 and then briefly parish vicar of Immaculate Conception in [[Johor Bahru]].<ref name=vatbio/> He then moved to Rome and earned a licentiate in dogmatic theology from the [[Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas]] in 1983.<ref name="fides"/> He was parish vicar of St. Francis Xavier in Malacca in 1984; professor of dogmatic theology and spiritual director at the major seminary of Penang, chaplain of university students in Penang, administrator of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Paulau Tikus-Penang and pastoral coordinator from 1985 to 1988;<ref name=vatbio/> vicar general of Malacca-Johor from 1988 to 2001;<ref name=fides/> pastor of the Cathedral in Malacca from 1988 to 2004; diocesan administrator of Malacca-Johor in 2002-2003; parish priest of St. Louis in [[Kluang]] from 2004 to 2007; parish priest of the Immaculate Conception from 2007 to 2011; and pastor of Christ the King in [[Kulai]] in 2011–2012. He was vicar general of Malacca-Johor from 2003 to 2012.<ref name=vatbio/> He interrupted his pastoral work to study at the [[Maryknoll|Maryknoll School of Theology]] in [[New York (state)|New York]] where he obtained a degree in justice and peace studies in 1991.<ref name=fabc/>
==Bishop of Penang== On 7 July 2012, [[Benedict XVI]] appointed Francis the fifth bishop of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang|Diocese of Penang]].<ref name=vatbio>{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = 16 August 2023 | language = it | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 07.07.2012 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2012/07/07/0408/00962.html }}</ref><ref name="fides">{{cite news|url=http://www.news.va/en/news/asiamalaysia-resignation-of-the-bishop-of-penang-a|title=Resignation of the Bishop of Penang and appointment of successor.|access-date=2015-11-20|archive-date=2015-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121015511/http://www.news.va/en/news/asiamalaysia-resignation-of-the-bishop-of-penang-a|url-status=dead}}</ref> He received his episcopal consecration on 20 August 2012 at St Anne’s Church in [[Bukit Mertajam]]<ref name=fabc/> from Archbishop [[Murphy Pakiam|Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam]], with Bishops [[Antony Selvanayagam]] and [[Paul Tan Chee Ing]] serving as co-consecrators. His consecration was witnessed by 10,000 Catholics and attended by then [[Chief Minister of Penang]], [[Lim Guan Eng]].<ref>{{cite news | access-date = 16 August 2023 | url = https://cj.my/74997/new-bishop-for-the-diocese-of-penang/ | work = Citizens Journal (Malaysia)| date = 22 August 2012 | title = New Bishop for the Diocese of Penang }}</ref>
On 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced he planned to make Sebastian a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 30 September. At that consistory, Pope Francis made him a [[cardinal priest]], assigning him the title of [[Santa Maria Causa Nostrae Laetitiae]]. He participated as a [[Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave|cardinal elector]] in the [[2025 papal conclave]] that elected [[Pope Leo XIV]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html| title=Cardinal Electors|date=6 May 2025|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|language=en|access-date=6 May 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506193115/https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html|archive-date=6 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
He is the chairman of the Office of Social Communication (OSC) of the [[Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences]] (FABC) since 2023.<ref name="fabc">{{cite web|url=https://www.todayscatholic.com.my/2023/02/bishop-sebastian-francis-of-penang-malaysia-appointed-chairman-of-the-fabc-osc/|title=Bishop Sebastian Francis of Penang, Malaysia, appointed Chairman of the FABC-OSC|date=14 February 2023|accessdate=26 March 2023|publisher=[[Radio Veritas Asia]]|website=Today's Catholic|last1=Chai|first1=Ivy|archive-date=26 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326060714/https://www.todayscatholic.com.my/2023/02/bishop-sebastian-francis-of-penang-malaysia-appointed-chairman-of-the-fabc-osc/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was formerly the president of the [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei]] from 2016 to 2023. Francis is the Grand Prior of the Malaysia-Penang Lieutenancy of the [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic)|Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/oessh/luogotenenze_en.html|title=The Lieutenancies of the World Lieutenants and Grand Priors|access-date=2025-06-01}}</ref>
== Personal life == Francis is [[multilingual]], with proficiency in [[English language|English]], [[Malay language|Malay]] and [[Tamil language|Tamil]]. His personal interests include [[reading]], [[traveling]] and participating in outdoor activities such as [[hiking]], [[hill climbing]] and [[brisk walk]]ing.
==Honours== === Honours of Malaysia === * {{flag|Penang}} ** [[File:MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Officer - DSPN.svg|50px]] Officer of the [[Order of the Defender of State#Officer|Order of the Defender of State]] (DSPN) – '''Dato'''' (2016)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/08/13/71-new-datuks-in-penang-record-number-of-people-to-receive-title-from-governor/|title=71 new Datuks in Penang|website=www.thestar.com.my}}</ref> ** [[File:MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Commander - DGPN.svg|50px]] Commander of the [[Order of the Defender of State#Commander|Order of the Defender of State]] (DGPN) – '''Dato' Seri''' (2021)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/bishop-sebastian-awarded-dgpn/60738/1|title=Bishop Sebastian awarded DGPN|date=24 July 2021|accessdate=26 March 2023|website=[[Herald Malaysia]]}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Cardinals created by Francis]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} * [https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_francis_s.html Francis Card. Sebastian]. [[Holy See Press Office]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231003054341/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_francis_s.html Archived] from the original on 3 October 2023 * [http://pgdiocese.org/ Diocese of Penang official website] * [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bfrncss.html Catholic-Hierarchy.org]
{{S-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{Succession box | title=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Penang|Bishop of Penang]] | before=[[Antony Selvanayagam]] | after=Incumbent | years=2011-current | }} {{S-end}} {{College of Cardinals}} {{Roman Catholic Bishops of Penang|state=collapsed}} {{Cardinals created by Francis}} {{Portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Malaysia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Sebastian}} [[Category:1951 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Malaysian people of Malayali descent]] [[Category:People from Johor]] [[Category:Malaysian people of Indian descent]] [[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malaysia]] [[Category:Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni]] [[Category:Maryknoll Seminary alumni]] [[Category:Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI]] [[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Francis]] [[Category:Malaysian cardinals]] [[Category:21st-century cardinals]] [[Category:Grand Priors of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre]] [[Category:Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre]] [[Category:Commanders of the Order of the Defender of State of Penang]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of the Defender of State of Penang]]