Meet the conclave: Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo

Cardinal Ambongo: An African leader among the cardinals

While no one expects cardinals to vote as geographical blocs for a new pope, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the African bishops' council, and the presidents of other regional conferences have connections and knowledge that many of their confreres do not.

Meet the conclave: Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo

Fridolin Ambongo Besungu was born on Jan. 24, 1960, just months before the country then known as the Belgian Congo gained its independence after 75 harrowing years of colonial rule.The following decades would be full of upheavals for the Democratic Republic of the Congo — and, at times, for Ambongo.Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, pictured in March 2019, before he received the cardinal’s red hat. © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.The future cardinal was born in Bo…

Faithful to Francis but strongly anti-gay