On 28 October 2024, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, appointed His Eminence Cardinal Stephen Brislin as Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg in South Africa.
In a communiqué shared with the Secretary General of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), the Apostolic Nuncio to South Africa, Archbishop Henryk Jagodzinski said, “Pope Francis has appointed His Eminence Cardinal Stephen Brislin as Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg, transferring him from the Archdiocese of Cape Town.”
The 68-year-old Cardinal was ordained a Priest in 1983, after completing his studies in philosophy at St John Vianney, Pretoria and Theology at the London Missionary Institute. In October 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Kroonstad, and in December 2009, he was elected Archbishop of Cape Town.
He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 30 September 2023, of the Title of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello. Cardinal Brislin has also served as SACBC president from 2013 to 2019 and was recently re-elected to head the SACBC and he will take office from January 2025. The newly appointed Archbishop is also a member of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
His Excellency Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale will remain Apostolic Administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg until the new Archbishop takes possession. In compliance with Canon 418 ẟ1, the newly appointed Archbishop must take possession of the Archdiocese within two months from the day of the appointment.
The IMBISA Standing Committee and the Secretariat wish to congratulate Cardinal Brislin on his new assignment and assure him of our support and prayers. On the same note, we would like to thank in a special way Archbishop Buti for his dedication in serving the Archdiocese of Johannesburg.