SW News: The Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, has congratulated Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye, who will be made a Cardinal in August by Pope Francis.

In his recent Facebook post uploaded on June 1, the prime minister said that after his appointment as the Archbishop of Singapore in 2013, the prelate had been actively working “with fellow religious leaders to promote religious harmony, and support the progress of our country.”

The prime minister added, “I am confident that he will continue to bring his wisdom and humility to his new responsibilities. I wish him every success in his new appointment and look forward to him making a greater contribution to the church and to the broader community, in Singapore and beyond.”

Archbishop Goh, 64, made history by becoming the first Cardinal from Singapore. In the Church hierarchy, Cardinal is a rank second only to the pope. PM Loong noted this announcement to be “especially significant to our Catholic community” as the Singaporean Catholic community celebrated 200 years of faith last year.

It was on Sunday, Pope Francis announced that 21 prelates from around the world would be included in the College of Cardinals on August 27. Among them, 16 will be able to vote in the next conclave. As of now, there are 208 Cardinals. The number will grow to 229 in August after the Consistory.