Archbishop Jean Zerbo, a Roman Catholic prelate, becomes the first Cardinal to be hailed from Mali, West Africa. His Excellency Jean Zerbo has already been called as the “cardinal of peace” and this regard expressed the Holy Father Pope Francis in choosing him as the cardinal at the June consistory. Mali is considered as a harsh region in West Africa, in which the rate of Christian persecution is high.
His Grace Jean Zerbo has always tried to bring peace in the country through his ministry. As reported by the Catholic news agency , Archbishop Zerbo remarked that “Peace can only be achieved through the conversion of hearts regardless of Faith. We Christian are always called to an effort of reconciliation.” In 2012, Mali had been sacked by a civil war with various rebel forces controlling different parts of the region.
His Excellency Zerbo was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Segou in 1971. In 1988, St. John Paul II promoted him as the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamako and then later was made the Archbishop of Bamako.
Source : www.catholicnewsagency.com
