On September 1, Pope Francis named 13 new cardinals and former Sophia University Vice President Luxembourg’s Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich was one of elected. At the consistory scheduled on October 5, the appointment will be official. He is another cardinal with a strong tie to Japan along with Osaka’s Archbishop Manyo Maeda, who was appointed as 6th Japanese cardinal last year.

The cardinals are ranked immediate to the Pope in the Catholic Church to form the College of Cardinals to assist duties of the Pope. With new 13 cardinals, 118 out of 215 cardinals worldwide have the right to participate in the conclave that is entitled to elect the future Pope.

Archbishop Hollerich was born in Luxemburg in 1958 and was ordained a priest in 1990. He has learned Philosophy, Theology and Education in three universities in Italy and Germany. In 1987 he started to teach at Department of German Studies at Sophia University as a professor and had served as Director of Catholic Center, the Vice President for Academic Exchange, and the Trustee for Overseas Liaison as well as other significant posts at the University.

Currently he serves the President of the Catholic Church of the European Union (COMECE). Twenty years of his life spent in Japan he contributes to building good relations between Luxembourg and Japan/Sophia University.

Being interviewed by Vatican News on September 1, in Portugal where he was on the holidays he commented that his first thoughts went to the Gospel of the day about “how you should not choose the best seats”. Mentioning the Gospel by Luke, he shared that in serving his missions he always keeps such a teaching in his thought. He also told them that “I hope that I can always listen to that Gospel and as a Cardinal be really of service to the Pope, to the Church and to all the women and men who constitute the Church of God” in his interview.