Rio de Janeiro: When Leonardo Steiner, Archbishop of the Brazilian city of Manas, kneels before Pope Francis on August 27, he will make history as the first cardinal from the Amazon region. Steiner, 71, is one of 21 new cardinals announced by Pope Francis in late May.
Other cardinals appointed are Giorgio Marengo, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Bishop Robert McElroy of Santiago, and Bishop Peter Okpaleke of Ekwulobia, Nigeria.
Spanning nine countries, the Amazon region is larger than the European Union.
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