Archive photos of Pope Francis. |Picture source: AP
Although Pope Francis cannot satisfy his long-standing desire to visit India, he has promoted an Indian pastor (a few months ago) to a Vatican official, an important moment in the country’s Catholic community.
Francis, the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, died on Easter Monday. He was 88 years old at the time. The Pope was diagnosed with bipneumonia.
His efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in the Syro-Malabar Church, one of the Eastern Catholic churches, were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has also advanced with the fruits of some high-profile Indian figures, providing quiet moments of pride for many faithful people.
Pope Francis raised the priest during his Pope. Kuriakose Elias Chavara and sister Euphrasia Eluvathingal are from Kerala to Christmas 2014.
In 2019, Pope Francis announced Mariam Thresia, another Catholic nun born in Kerala. She was the third nun and fourth clergyman of Syro-Malabar church in Kerala and was approved as the Saints Alliance.
His pope also saw Devasahayam Pillai, who received Christianity in the 18th century, was declared a saint – becoming the first Indian layman to be ceremonialized.
According to the Diocese of Kotar, the Bishops’ Committee of Tamil Nadu and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, the Vatican recommended the Vatican to carry out the victory of Badahayam in 2004.
Pope Francis performed a model mass at the Vatican iconic St. Peter’s Basilica in 2022, blending the blessed Devasahayam Pillai in a hygienic mass.
In a grand component held in the Vatican on December 7, 2024, 51-year-old Indian priest George Jacob Koovakad was promoted to cardinal by Pope Francis.
The ceremony was held at St. Peter’s Basilica, attended by clergy and VIPs from all over the world, witnessing the inclusion of 21 new cardinals from various countries.
Koovakad’s appointment from the Archbishops’ Council of Kerala (Kerala), bringing the total number of Indian cardinals to six, further strengthening the country’s representative in the Vatican.
Other senior leaders, Narendra Modi, church leaders across India welcomed the news happily and proudly. The Indian government sent a delegation led by Union Minister George Kurian to witness the ceremony.
Before the event began, the Indian delegation also attracted audiences with Pope Francis. Kovacard has been organizing international trips to Pope Francis since 2020.
Previously, Koovakad, who holds the title of Monsignor, was declared the name of archbishop of Türkiye’s Nisibis. He is currently in the Vatican.
During his Pope, Syro-Malabar Church was jeopardized by the crisis, and in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, there were strong pastors and members of the church community who disagreed with the August 2021 decision of Syro-Malabar Church.
This decision requires a standardized mass approach where the pastor is required to face the congregation only at the beginning and end of the service and then turn to the rest of the mass (called the formula 50:50).
publishing – April 22, 2025 02:24 AM IST
