Wamala among top 5 legacy Cardinals of the Catholic Church

In the video released by Vatican media, Cardinal Wamala is featured at key functions in his public life with some of his Ugandan public figures, including President Museveni, the Archbishop of Kampala Paul Ssemogerere, Buganda Kattikiro Charles Peter Mayiga, and UPDF’s Brig. Gen. Charles Bakahumura, the current Uganda’s defence attaché to Turkey.

Wamala is the third oldest cardinal in the Catholic Church at the age of 97. Born on 15 December 1926, he became a Cardinal in 1994 and served as Archbishop of Kampala until he retired on 19th August 2006.

During his time, he also served as inspector of diocesan schools and faculty member of the Minor Seminary of Bukalasa. He served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Masaka from 1974 – 1981. He was created Chaplain of His Holiness on 25 May 1977. He was one of the Cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.

Alexandre Cardinal do Nascimento of Angola

The oldest cardinal is Alexandre Cardinal do Nascimento of Angola who is 99 years, having been born in 1925. The first cardinal of the Catholic Church in Angola was born on March 1, 1925, in Malanje, where he was ordained priest in 1952 and became bishop on August 31, 1975.

In 1977 Dom Alexandre do Nascimento was named Archbishop of Lubango and further assigned as Cardinal on February 2, 1983 by Pope John Paul II.

During this period he served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Ondjiva from 1977 to 1986.

He was Archbishop of Luanda from February 16 1986 to January 23, 2001, when he resigned.

He is currently archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Luanda. He was president of Caritas International for eight years. He presided the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST), between 1990 and 1997.

In March 2005 he lost the right to participate in the conclaves for having reached the age of 80.

Estanislao Esteban Karlic of Argentina

The second oldest cardinal in the Catholic Church is Estanislao Esteban Karlic of Argentina. Cardinal Karlic (born February 7, 1926 in Oliva, Argentina) was ordained to the priesthood on December 8, 1954. In 1977, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Córdoba, Argentina as well as Titular Bishop of Castrum. Six years later he was installed as Coadjutor Archbishop of Paraná and later made Archbishop, which he retired from in 2003.

In 2007, he was elevated to the position of Cardinal and installed as Cardinal-Priest of Beata Maria Vergine Addolorata a piazza Buenos Aires on February 2, 2008. Because he was elevated when he was over 80, he will never serve in a papal conclave. Cardinal Karlic is known for his theologically moderate evaluation of conservative and liberal ideas and stresses the importance of family as “the sanctuary of love and of life.”

Cardinal Luis Pascual Dri

The fourth oldest is Cardinal Luis Pascual Dri, who was born in Federacion in Argentina on 17 April 1927, was ordained a priest in 1952 in the Cathedral of Montevideo. 96-year-old Capuchin Franciscan Friar, Brother Luis Pascual Dri, was appointed to become one of the new Cardinals by Pope Francis when he announced the 30 September Consistory last July.

He was unable to be in Rome because of reasons tied to his health and age. Cardinal Dri, who was born in Federacion in Argentina on 17 April 1927, was ordained a priest in 1952 in the Cathedral of Montevideo. From 2000 to 2003 he was parish priest at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei in the Nueva Pompeya neighbourhood of Buenos Aires where he returned after his retirement and where he continues to hear confessions for several hours each day.

Cardinal Julio Duarte Langa of Mozambique

The fifth oldest is Cardinal Julio Duarte Langa of Mozambique. He was made a cardinal in 2015. Born in 1927 in the southern town on the coast of the Indian Ocean that he would later lead, Cardinal Langa was a priest for almost 20 years when he was ordained bishop; he would serve in Xai-Xai for 28 years, from 1976 until his retirement in 2004. While serving as bishop he was put in charge of the priests of Mozambique, and was much beloved for his care, fatherly style.

A talented linguist, the cardinal was also responsible for translating the texts of Vatican II into the vernacular languages of Mozambique.

But more than anything, according to Archbishop João Nunes of Maputo, Mozambique, what distinguished Cardinal Langa was his steady presence. “While others travel around the country and the world, he remains at his diocese prioritizing the poorer population in the region.”