Latest news with #Koovakad
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
The weak, not the crowds, caught Pope's eye: Cardinal
Panaji: Cardinal George Koovakad , a Vatican diplomat in charge of coordinating ' foreign trips, saidit was a 'blessing' to accompany the late pontiff during his apostolic journeys around the world for the last five years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'When I spoke to him over telephone on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, I did not imagine that it would be my last personal moment with him,' he told TOI from the Vatican. Pope Francis' charisma deeply moved people around him. 'He would draw energy from being among the little and the lowly. It wasn't the crowds that captured his attention but the weak and vulnerable,' he said. 'A poor person in a wheelchair or a stranded child—they were the ones who caught his eye,' Koovakad said. Koovakad organised 11 apostolic journeys covering 16 nations since 2021, where he witnessed both Christians and non-Christians welcome Pope Francis with great enthusiasm and joy. 'Just as His Holiness loved migrants, prisoners, the sick, the suffering, and the marginalised, he too was deeply loved by all. Even his final message as the Roman pontiff—the urbi et orbi blessing on Easter Sunday—echoed his heartfelt concern for those affected by war and internal conflict in places like Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine, Congo, Sudan, and beyond,' said Koovakad, who added that the Pope was a tireless advocate for a world rooted in peace and fraternity. Belonging to the Syro-Malabar Church from the Archdiocese of Changanacherry in Kerala, Koovakad has been a diplomat for the Vatican — serving in various countries including Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica, and Venezuela — since 2006. As the coordinator of apostolic journeys in the Vatican's secretariat since 2021, Koovakad and his team travelled twice to the country to be visited by the Pope, to prepare the programme and all logistics. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Besides assisting the Pope, it was also his job to oversee an entire group of approximately 150 persons, including 70 media persons, who accompany the Pope on his foreign visits. 'Pope Francis would often crack jokes and make everyone around him feel comfortable. His warmth and humility were always evident,' he said. 'Now, I accompany him spiritually in his eternal pilgrimage, a pilgrimage of hope done by someone who did not go back to his motherland once elected Pope,' Koovakad said. Pope Francis elevated Koovakad as cardinal only four months ago, and he is among the four Indian Cardinals who will be eligible to vote for the new Pope at the conclave.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Time of India
Pope Francis shared a close bond with a Kerala cardinal
Kottayam: Pope Francis was closely connected to Kerala, particularly through Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad , a native of Changanassery near Kottayam. Koovakad, 52, joined the Vatican diplomatic service in 2006 and served in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica and Venezuela. Since 2020, he has been working at the Vatican state secretariat, in charge of the Pope's travels. Their relationship was so special that the Pope came on a video call to speak to the Cardinal's grandmother Sosamma when she was ill in 2023. Sosamma passed away on March 1 this year. The Pope once again surprised the Koovakad family when he announced the priest as one of the 21 new Cardinals in Oct 2024. He became the first Indian priest to be made a Cardinal from the priesthood without being ordained a bishop or an archbishop.
NDTV
21-04-2025
- General
- NDTV
New Indian Cardinal, Unfulfilled Visit: Pope Francis' Bond With India
Kochi: Pope Francis's connection with India was marked by a mix of hopes and challenges. His long-held wish to visit the country remained unfulfilled. However, just months ago, he elevated an Indian priest, who is a Vatican official, to the rank of Cardinal--a notable moment for the Catholic community there. Francis, who was the first non-European Pope in nearly 1,300 years, died on Easter Monday. He was 88. The Pope was diagnosed for double pneumonia. His efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict over how Holy Mass is performed in the Syro-Malabar Church, one of the Oriental Catholic Churches, did not succeed. Meanwhile, Pope Francis also moved forward with the sainthood causes of a few much-revered Indian figures, offering quite moments of pride for many of the faithful. During his papacy, in 2014, Pope Francis elevated Fr Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sister Euphrasia Eluvathingal from Kerala to sainthood. In 2019, another Kerala-born Catholic nun, Mariam Thresia, was declared a saint by Pope Francis at a function held at St Peter's Basilica in Rome. She was the third nun and fourth clergy member from the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church to be canonised into the league of saints. His papacy also saw Devasahayam Pillai, who embraced Christianity in the 18th century, being declared a saint--becoming the first Indian layman to be canonised. Devasahayam was recommended for the process of beatification by the Vatican in 2004, at the request of the Kottar Diocese, the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India. Pope Francis canonised Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, along with nine others, during a canonisation mass at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican in 2022. It was in a grand consistory held at the Vatican on 7 December, 2024, that 51-year-old Indian priest George Jacob Koovakad was elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis. The ceremony, held at the iconic St Peter's Basilica and attended by clergy and dignitaries from around the world, witnessed the induction of 21 new Cardinals from various countries. Hailing from the Archdiocese of Changanassery in Kerala, Koovakad's appointment brought the total number of Indian Cardinals to six, further strengthening the country's representation in the Vatican. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, other senior leaders, and heads of churches across India welcomed the announcement with joy and pride. The Government of India sent a delegation led by Union Minister George Kurian to witness the ceremony. Prior to the event, the Indian delegation also had an audience with Pope Francis. Koovakad has been organising Pope Francis's international travels since 2020. Previously, Koovakad, who held the title of Monsignor, was declared the Titular Archbishop of Nisibis in Turkey. He is currently based in the Vatican. Soon after his elevation, Cardinal Koovakad said that Pope Francis's visit to India would most likely be after 2025, which has been announced as the "Jubilee Year" by the Catholic Church, due to celebrations in Rome during that year. When asked about the Pope's visit, he said that it was not clear when Francis would come to India. "Chances are that it will be after 2025, which is the Jubilee Year. There are a lot of celebrations in Rome during that year, and therefore the Pope will most likely be there," he had told reporters. At the same time, he had also said that a visit by the Pope in the near future could not be ruled out. During his papacy, the Syro-Malabar Church was marred by crisis, with a strong section of priests and members of the Church community in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese disagreeing with the Syro-Malabar Church's August 2021 decision on uniform Holy Mass. This decision mandated a standardised way of conducting Holy Mass, where priests are required to face the congregation only at the beginning and end of the service, turning towards the altar for the rest of the Mass (known as the 50:50 formula). While most dioceses under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church have adopted this approach, many priests in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, along with their parishioners, continue to oppose it. They argue that it breaks from the tradition wherein the priest faces the congregation throughout the entire Mass. It was during the peak of the crisis that Cardinal George Alencherry announced his resignation as Head of the Syro-Malabar Church in 2023. His decision came amid an ongoing feud in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, involving the implementation of a uniform Holy Mass and the church's land dealings. Alencherry held the position of Major Archbishop of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese. Following his resignation, Bishop Raphael Thattil was elevated as the head of the Syro-Malabar Church.
