D'Rozario becomes first Bangladeshi cardinal

Archbishop Patrick D'Rozario of Dhaka was promoted along with 16 other Roman Catholic prelates to the high rank of cardinal yesterday.

Pope Francis promoted them to the rank, including 13 who are under 80 years old and thus eligible to succeed him one day, reports Reuters.

The 73-year old cardinal from Bangladesh was born on October 1, 1943, at Padrishibpur in Barisal in a Catholic family. He professed member of Congregation of Holy Cross at the age of 18 and became ordained priest there in 1972, according to Catholic Hierarchy.

Later in 1990 and 1995, he was appointed as Bishop of Rajshahi and Chittagong respectively. He joined as Coadjutor Archbishop of Dhaka in 2010 and succeeded to Archbishop in the next year.

Cardinals, who wear red hats and are known as "princes of the Church," are the most senior members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy after the pope and serve as his principal advisers around the world and in the Vatican.

Cardinals under 80, known as cardinal-electors, can enter a secret conclave to choose a new pope from their own ranks after Francis dies or resigns.

Francis, the former cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected in a conclave on March 13, 2013.

The other cardinal-electors come from Italy, the Central African Republic, Spain, the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Belgium, Mauritius, Mexico and Papua New Guinea.