Cardinal Anthony Poola, the primary Dalit man to be elevated to the function of Cardinal, on Monday termed Pope Francis, who died earlier within the day, the “apostle of the margins”.
Talking to The Indian Specific, the cardinal, who’s one in all 4 Indians set to participate within the course of to elect the subsequent Pope, paid tribute to the pontiff who had elevated him to the place of cardinal in 2022. “To the prophet of mercy, the apostle of the margins, we bid goodbye for now, with the hope of resurrection,” Cardinal Poola mentioned.
Together with Cardinal Poola, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad, the three others who will participate within the election course of are Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, the Archbishop of Goa and Daman; Cardinal Cleemis Baselios, the Main Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram; and Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, the Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church.
The dying of the Pope units in movement the Interregnum – the intervening interval between two papacies. There might be a interval of Sede Vacante, which means “the seat is vacant”, till a brand new Pope is elected from among the many 253 cardinals. As many as 138 cardinals will be capable of function electors within the subsequent conclave. Cardinal over the age of 80 can not participate within the election.
Cardinal Poola mentioned, “With humble gratitude I keep in mind the singular honour and immense duty he bestowed on me by naming me a cardinal throughout his preach… We are going to keep in mind Pope Francis because the Pope who dared to dream ‘a Church that’s poor and for the poor’… With braveness, he opened the doorways that had lengthy been shut. He reminded us that the Church isn’t a fortress however a discipline hospital.”
Cardinal Ferrao additionally launched a condolence message, saying, “His (Pope Francis’s) unwavering dedication to the Church and his dynamic endeavours in selling peace, inter-religious dialogue, social justice and take care of creation might be lengthy remembered and cherished… His imaginative and prescient to remodel the Church right into a synodal neighborhood, one which listens, discerns, journeys collectively and embraces inclusivity, has left an indelible mark on the Church in any respect ranges.”
In a round, the Convention of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), whose president is Cardinal Ferrao, mentioned, “Pope Francis held a particular love for India and longed to go to our land. He constantly reminded us of our obligation to take care of the poor and to construct a synodal Church. In his current message to the lndian Bishops gathered on the thirty sixth CCBI Plenary Meeting in Bhubaneswar in January 2025, the Holy Father urged them to prioritise the poor and the susceptible of their ministry, calling upon them to open vast the doorways of the Church.”
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It additionally mentioned, “Pope Francis canonised 5 lndian saints – St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara and St. Euphrasia Eluvathingal on twenty third November 2014, St. Joseph Vaz on 14th January 2015, St. Mariam Thresia Chiramel on thirteenth October 2019 and St. Devasahayam Pillai on fifteenth Might 2022.”
Cardinal Ferrao additional known as upon all dioceses, parishes, spiritual communities and households to look at 9 days of mourning and to supply particular prayers. “As a visual signal of our grief, church bells ought to be tolled to indicate our sorrow and announce the passing away of our Supreme Pontiff,” he mentioned within the CCBI round.
Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado, one of many prime Catholic leaders within the nation who has been on the forefront of a number of socially difficult causes, mentioned, “In his humility, he selected to not reside within the conventional Apostolic Palace however within the modest Vatican visitor home – a selection that echoed the Gospel name to simplicity and solidarity.”
The Catholic Bishops Convention of India (CBCI) additionally issued a press release, saying, “The Church in India joins hundreds of thousands of devoted the world over in mourning the lack of a shepherd who led the worldwide Catholic Church with extraordinary braveness, compassion and humility.”
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It mentioned that he “urged the worldwide neighborhood to take concrete actions in opposition to local weather change and environmental degradation, uniting folks of all faiths and ideologies within the take care of creation”.
CBCI may also observe 9 days of mourning and prayer for the Pope throughout all Catholic church buildings within the nation, the assertion mentioned. A Holy Mass or communion may also be supplied in any respect Catholic church buildings within the nation on April 22, the CBCI mentioned.