In the Vatican basilica the consistory during which the pontiff imposed the cap on 21 new cardinals. There are now 37 Asian cardinals, including 25 electors. For the Archbishop of Tokyo Kikuchi, president of Caritas Internationalis. For the new Cardinal Koovakad, an official delegation sent by Modi. Minister Kurian: Francis in India only after 2025.
Vatican City () – “The adventure of the journey, the joy of meeting others, the care of the most fragile: this should animate your service as cardinals.” This is the message that Pope Francis entrusted this afternoon to the 21 new cardinals created in the consistory that he presided over in the Vatican basilica. Among them were also four faces of the Churches of Asia: the archbishop of Tokyo, Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi; the bishop of Kalookan (Philippines), Pablo Virgilio David; the Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan of the Latins, Dominique Joseph Mathieu; and the bishop of Syria-Malabar, George Jacob Koovakad, a close collaborator of the pontiff in the organization of papal trips.
One by one – in front of the Altar of Confession – the Pope imposed the purple cap and presented the cardinal’s ring. «The word cardinal – said the pontiff – reminds us of the pivot into which the knocker of a door is inserted: it is a firm point of support, of support. Here, dear brothers: Jesus is the fundamental point of support, the center of gravity of our service, the ‘cardinal point’ that guides our entire life. «Looking at you, who come from different histories and cultures and represent the catholicity of the Church – added Pope Francis -, the Lord calls you to be witnesses of fraternity, architects of communion and builders of unity. This is your mission.
With the cardinals created today, there are 37 Asian cardinals, 25 of whom are electors out of a total of 253. During the consistory, the new cardinals were presented with their titles and diaconies, that is, the churches of Rome that have been assigned to them. assigned since, according to tradition, the cardinals also assist the Pope in the direction of the City Church. Tokyo Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, who is also president of Caritas Internationalis, was assigned the diakonia of the parish of San Giovanni Leonardi in Torre Maura, a Roman suburb. To the president of the Philippine Episcopal Conference, Pablo Virgilio David, that of the church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gianicolense neighborhood. To the Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan of the Latins, Dominique Joseph Mathieu, of the Church of Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret, whose nuns are also present in several Middle Eastern countries and Pakistan. To the Indian Bishop George Jacob Koovakad, the diaconate of the parish of Saint Anthony of Padua in the Appian Ring Road.
Precisely in honor of the newly appointed cardinal of Kerala, in a significant gesture, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a high-level delegation to the ceremony on behalf of the country. Made up of seven members, it is headed by federal minister George Kurian, who is a Syrian-Malabar Christian like the newly crowned cardinal. Besides him, there are former minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh, Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, BJP leader Anil Antony, former Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Anoop Antony Joseph and BJP national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan.
On the sidelines of the consistory, Minister Kurian recalled that Prime Minister Modi had officially invited the Pope to visit India. “We have been informed,” he said, “that the Pope throughout 2025 will be busy with the jubilee celebrations and will therefore travel little outside Rome. So your visit to India will take place after this date.”
(contributor Nirmala Carvalho)
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