History in Colour: South Africa’s First Cardinal
A crowd of people welcomes Cardinal Owen McCann at Cape Town airport in February 1965 as he returns from Rome, where he had just received the red hat from Pope Paul VI, becoming South Africa’s first cardinal. Following behind him is his secretary, Fr Jeremiah McMorrow.
Born in Cape Town 115 years ago on June 26, Cardinal McCann was the archbishop of Cape Town from 1950-84. Before that he edited The Southern Cross from 1941-48. He returned to the editor’s chair on an interim basis in 1986; in the event, he stayed on until 1991.
Cardinal McCann attended the Second Vatican Council, at which he was elected to the Commission for Bishops and made four written and four oral submissions in his own name, and five written ones as president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. He was part of the two conclaves of 1978 which elected Popes John Paul I and II.
Cardinal McCann died on March 26, 1994, at age 86, and is buried in Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral.
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