Pope Francis to Elevate Two Indian Churchmen to Rank of Cardinal in August 2022

Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao di Rosario Ferrao and Archbishop Anthony Poola. 

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Two Indian churchmen are to be elevated by Pope Francis to the rank of cardinal in a ceremony at the Vatican in August this year, Vatican News reported on Sunday, 29 May.

The two Cardinals from India are Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao di Rosario Ferrao - Archbishop of Goa and Damao (India) and Archbishop Anthony Poola - Archbishop di Hyderabad (India), and they were two among 21 such churchmen elevated to cardinal.

Father Poola is the first Dalit Christian in India who will attain this title.

“Poola is also the first Telugu in the history of the Catholic Church to be appointed as cardinal, the second biggest title after Pope, in the world and the first Dalit to get the position. It is an honour and recognition for the oppressed sections of Christianity,” Father S Bernard, Vicar General of Hyderabad, told Hindustan Times.

On the other hand, Father Ferrao, born in Aldona village near Panaji, began his religious studies in the Seminary of Our Lady in Saligao.

He then went to the Papal Seminary in Pune, a senior official from the Archbishop's Palace in Panaji, Goa said, as reported by PTI.

Fluent in Konkani, English, Portuguese, Italian, French and German, he was ordained as a priest in 1979 was consecrated as Archbishop of Goa and Daman in 2003 by Pope John Paul II after the then Archbishop Rev Father Raul Goncalves resigned.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Pope Francis said that he will hold a Consistory for the creation of new cardinals on 27 August and will hold meetings from August 29 and 30 with all the cardinals to reflect on the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium.

Of the 21 newly named cardinals, eight are from Europe, six from Asia, two from Africa, one from North America, and four from Central and Latin America.

(With inputs from PTI, Vatican News, and Hindustan Times)