Meet the four Indian cardinals who will take part in the next papal conclave

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, passed away on Easter Monday morning. Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, confirmed the demise. He was 88.

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With the passing of the pontiff, an assembly of the conclave of popes will begin soon. Cardinals from all over the world will fly to the Vatican in the coming days to decide who will now bear this holy duty. With 252 cardinals from around the world, only 135 are eligible to vote for the pastoral election due to a rule which states that a cardinal must be under the age of 80 to cast their ballot. Italy holds the most number of cardinals (51), but how many of those cardinals hail from India?

India is home to six cardinals: Cardinal George Alencherry (80) from Kerala, Cardinal Oswald Gracias (80) from Maharashtra, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao (72) from Goa, Cardinal Cleemis Baselios (64) from Kerala, Cardinal Anthony Poola (63) from Andhra Pradesh, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad (51) from Kerala.

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Though the country has six cardinals, only four will be eligible in the next electoral. Cardinal Gracias turned 80 on Christmas Eve last year while Cardinal Alencherry reached this milestone just two days ago (April 19) and will therefore not take part in the conclave.

Cardinal Cleemis Baselios

Cardinal Baselios created history by becoming the first Cardinal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church – a congregation that was founded 95 years ago, making it a relatively young branch of the Catholic Church. Born on 15 June 1959, he was born in Thiruvalla in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district. At the time of his ordination as Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, he was the youngest to be blessed with the title at the age of 53.

Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao

Cardinal Ferrao was ordained into the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis in 2022. Born on 20 January 1953 in Mapusa, Goa, he has served as Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman since 2004. He is the sixth Goan to be appointed Cardinal and earlier this year, Cardinal Ferrao assumed office as the President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad

The latest in India to be bestowed, Cardinal Ferrao was ordained by Pope Francis a few months ago – December 2024. Cardinal Koovakad is currently one of the youngest cardinals at the age of 51. He was born on 11 August 1973, in Kerala’s Chethipuzha, and is a member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Cardinal Koovakad was also the current prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue – founded in 1964 by Pope Paul XVI to promote interreligious dialogue.

Cardinal Anthony Poola

In August 2022, along with Cardinal Ferrao, Cardinal Poola joined the College of Cardinals, blessed by Pope Francis. Born on 15 November 1961, in Poluru, Andhra Pradesh, he was supported by the missionaries when he could not afford secondary education. Cardinal Poola also goes down in the history books as the first Dalit to be ordained Cardinal. He currently serves as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad.

 

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