A Significant Achievement for India: PMO on Archbishop George Koovakad’s Cardinal Appointment
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New Delhi, Dec 7 (NationPress) As Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad (51), a priest hailing from Kerala, prepares to be elevated as Cardinal by Pope Francis, the Prime Minister’s Office has praised this milestone as "a significant achievement for India".
Koovakad's elevation will take place at a ceremony in Vatican City on Sunday. The Prime Minister’s Office announced on X that a delegation led by Union Minister Shri George Kurian was sent to attend this event. The Indian delegation also had a meeting with His Holiness Pope Francis prior to the ceremony.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, just before taking his family, who had come to support him, for the traditional meeting with the Pope, a joyful Koovakad remarked, “My parents and close relatives are here for the occasion, and we are headed for the function where the Pope will greet all the guests. This is God's will, which I never anticipated. This elevation is a divine selection. I owe this to everyone who made it possible. When I arrived here in 2006, my esteemed seniors informed me that while learning the Bible can be done in Kerala, my purpose in coming to the Vatican was to gain deeper insights.”
Koovakad is affiliated with the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Changanacherry, and upon becoming a cardinal, he will be the sixth individual from Kerala to attain this position.
The previous five cardinals from Kerala were all bishops before their elevation to this prestigious role within the Catholic Church.
Currently, there are 232 active cardinals globally, a number that will rise to 253 following Koovakad and 20 others' elevation.
This assembly of cardinals will convene to elect the next Pope when required.
Koovakad, presently stationed in the Vatican, oversees the international travel arrangements of Pope Francis. He began his career in the Vatican Diplomatic Service in 2006, after completing his training at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.
Born on August 11, 1973, in Thiruvananthapuram, Koovakad was ordained as a priest on July 24, 2004, later pursuing diplomatic training at the esteemed Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.
In 2006, he commenced his diplomatic journey at the Apostolic Nunciature in Algeria.
His service experience includes positions in Apostolic Nunciatures located in Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica, and Venezuela.
