Rev. Baawobr was appointed alongside 21 other cardinals who will assume their roles at the Vatican in August 2022 in a list announced by Pope Francis.

In a post on social media, the Vice President expressed joy at the appointment describing it as one that is not only “good news for Ghana” but also “worth celebrating.”

“Congratulations to the Catholic Bishop of the Wa Diocese, Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr, M.Afr, on his elevation as a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church by the Pope. This is good news for Ghana and worth celebrating”, Dr. Bawumia posted on Facebook.

Bishop Baawobr currently serves as the Chief Shepherd of Ghana’s Catholic Diocese of Wa.

He was born on June 21, 1959, and ordained as a priest on July 18, 1987.

On May 7, 2016, he was ordained as a Bishop.

He is widely known for his acts of charity and love for mentally challenged persons.

Here are the names of all 21 new cardinals:

Archbishop Arthur Roche – Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung sik – Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

Archbishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, L.C. – President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate for Vatican City State

Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline – Metropolitan Archbishop of Marseille (France)

Bishop Peter Okpaleke – Bishop of Ekwulobia (Nigeria)

Archbishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, O.F.M. – Metropolitan Archbishop of Manaus (Brazil)

Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião di Rosário Ferrão – Archbishop of Goa and Damão (India)

Bishop Robert Walter McElroy – Bishop of San Diego (U.S.A)

Archbishop Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva, S.D.B. – Archbishop of Dili (East Timor)

Bishop Oscar Cantoni – Bishop of Como (Italy)

Archbishop Anthony Poola – Archbishop di Hyderabad (India).

Archbishop Paulo Cezar Costa – Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasília (Brazil)

Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr, M. Africa – Bishop of Wa (Ghana)

Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye – Archbishop of Singapore (Singapore)

Archbishop Adalberto Martínez Flores – Metropolitan Archbishop of Asunción (Paraguay)

Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C. – Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)

Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal – Archbishop Emeritus of Cartagena (Colombia)

Archbishop Lucas Van Looy, S.D.B. – Archbishop Emeritus of Gent (Belgium)

Archbishop Arrigo Miglio – Archbishop Emeritus of Cagliari (Italy)

Fr. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J. – Professor di Theology

Msgr. Fortunato Frezza – Canon of Saint Peter’s Basilica