Sebastian Francis

Dato' Seri Sebastian Francis (born 11 November 1951) is a Malaysian Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Penang since 2011. Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of cardinal in 2023. He is the second cardinal from Malaysia, after Anthony Soter Fernandez.

Early life and education Sebastian Francis was born on 11 November 1951, in Johor Bahru, which was then part of the Federation of Malaya. His grandparents had emigrated from India's Thrissur district (formerly known as Trichur) in Kerala to Malaysia in the 1890s during British rule. His family belonged to the Mechery family of Ollur in Thrissur. Francis grew up in Malaysia, where his family included five brothers and four sisters, all of whom became Malaysian citizens.

From 1958 to 1963, Francis received his primary education at St. Joseph's Primary School in Johor Bahru, which was run by the Brothers of St. Gabriel. From 1964 to 1967, he attended Montfort Secondary School in Singapore, also managed by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, where he completed his secondary education up to the Senior Cambridge level. Between 1964 and 1966, Francis joined the Juniorate of the Brothers of St. Gabriel in Singapore and lived in community with the Brothers. In 1967, he successfully passed the Senior Cambridge examination in Singapore.

Priesthood Francis entered Saint Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Singapore in 1967 and enrolled in the College General, a major seminary in Penang, three years later, where he studied theology. He received his episcopal consecration on 20 August 2012 at St Anne’s Church in Bukit Mertajam

On 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced he planned to make Sebastian a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 30 September. At that consistory, Pope Francis made him a cardinal priest, assigning him the title of Santa Maria Causa Nostrae Laetitiae. He participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.

He is the chairman of the Office of Social Communication (OSC) of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) since 2023. He was formerly the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei from 2016 to 2023. Francis is the Grand Prior of the Malaysia-Penang Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Personal life Francis is multilingual, with proficiency in English, Malay and Tamil. His personal interests include reading, traveling and participating in outdoor activities such as hiking, hill climbing and brisk walking.

Honours Honours of Malaysia