When Cardinal Sarah’s resignation was accepted by Pope Francis in February, many predicted an ostracisation of the popular African cleric.
Yet in the past week two appointments have brought him to the fore of the ecclesiastical hierarchy once more.
The first was his appointment as a Cardinal Priest, an elevation from his role as Cardinal Deacon.
The second was announced on Twitter today by the Cardinal himself, a role in the Congregation of the Oriental Churches.
A precursor to this was established in 1862 by Pope Pius IX and the Congregation in its current form was founded in 1917 by Pope Benedict XV.
It deals with matters in the churches in : Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, southern Albania and Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel (and Palestinian territories), Syria, Jordan and Turkey.
