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| H.Em. Cardinal Kyangasha |
ROME-RUTHENIA 15 September 2026 (NRom)
His Illustrious Highness Archbishop Jonathan Kyangasha has been appointed Cardinal Priest of S. Apollinare by His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy Pope Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia, marking a new chapter in the Archbishop’s service within the United Roman-Ruthenian Church and its Holy Apostolic See.
Archbishop Kyangasha serves as Primate of the Reformed Anglican Church and the Province of Uganda and is a member of the Apostolic Congregation of the Consistory. The Consistory is the senior-most prefecture of the Roman-Ruthenian Curia and is charged with supporting the pastoral mission of the Roman-Ruthenian Pope through oversight and support of patriarchates, primatial sees, provinces and dioceses in communion with the United Roman-Ruthenian Church. The Reformed Anglican Church and the Province of Uganda is among the principal territorial jurisdictions.
The appointment gives Archbishop Kyangasha the cardinalatial title of Cardinal Priest of S. Apollinare, one of the titular churches assigned to Cardinal Priests within the United Roman-Ruthenian Church’s College of Cardinals. The Church’s official register of cardinalatial titles lists S. Apollinare alongside such titles as S. Agnese in Agone, S. Carlo ai Catinari, S. Martino ai Monti and S. Salvatore in Lauro.
An Ancient Roman Title
The historic Church of Sant’Apollinare stands in Rome’s Rione Ponte, between Piazza Navona and Palazzo Altemps. Its origins reach back to the early Middle Ages, with its foundation traditionally dated to between the seventh and eighth centuries. It is dedicated to St. Apollinaris, who, according to tradition, accompanied St. Peter from Antioch to Rome and later became the first bishop of Ravenna.
The original church was probably associated with a community of Byzantine-rite monks who had fled Constantinople amid the iconoclastic persecutions associated with Emperor Leo III the Isaurian. Centuries later, Pope Benedict XIV of Rome ordered the church rebuilt from its foundations. The reconstruction, undertaken between 1742 and 1748 according to designs by architect Ferdinando Fuga, produced the building substantially known today.
The ancient dedication gives particular historical symbolism to Archbishop Kyangasha’s new cardinalatial title, linking his service to the memory of a saint whose ministry, according to tradition, connected the apostolic mission of St. Peter in Rome with the early Christian See of Ravenna. In keeping with the historic character of Roman titular clergy, the cardinalatial title establishes an honorary association with the church and does not entail direct responsibility for its parochial administration or pastoral service.
Service in the College of Cardinals
Within the United Roman-Ruthenian Church, the College of Cardinals serves as the senior council of the Holy Apostolic See and as the senior-most section of the Patriarchal Chapter. Its members assist the Roman-Ruthenian Pope in questions concerning doctrine, ecclesiastical governance and the long-term stewardship of the Church’s spiritual and temporal patrimony.
The cardinalatial office is more than an honorary dignity. Cardinals exercise advisory, deliberative and juridical responsibilities and may also be entrusted with offices in the Roman-Ruthenian Curia and Pontifical Court. They are drawn principally from bishops and senior clergy distinguished by service, learning and fidelity, while certain lower cardinalatial ranks may also be conferred upon younger clergy formed in service to the Holy Apostolic See.
Members of the College additionally bear responsibilities concerning the continuity of the Holy Apostolic See. Under the Church’s canonical system, Cardinals are Pontifical Electors by right and, together with other designated electors of the Pontifical Court, participate in the election or confirmation of a successor when the See becomes vacant.
For Cardinal Kyangasha, appointment to the College therefore brings both a historic ecclesiastical dignity and additional responsibilities within the governing life of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church. His elevation also places renewed attention on the Church’s relationship with the Reformed Anglican Church and the Province of Uganda through the Apostolic Congregation of the Consistory, underscoring the role of its primatial jurisdictions in the wider communion.
The appointment joins the ancient symbolism of S. Apollinare with contemporary episcopal service in Africa and the broader life of the Holy Apostolic See, demonstrating the College of Cardinals’ stated mission of preserving continuity in apostolic governance while assisting the Roman-Ruthenian Pope in the pastoral and institutional stewardship of the Church.
