FOUR Indian cardinals—Ferrao, Cleemis, Koovakkad, and Poola—are eligible to vote in the papal conclave to elect the next pope, following the death of Pope Francis.
The passing of Pope Francis has initiated a long process in which cardinals from across the globe, including India, will gather in Vatican City for his funeral. Afterward, they will participate in the closed-door papal conclave within the Sistine Chapel to elect the new leader of the Catholic Church.
Of the six cardinals in India, four are eligible to vote in the conclave. These are: Filipe Neri Ferrao, the Archbishop of Goa and Damman; Baselios Cleemis, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Kerala; George Koovakkad, the former head of the Journeys Office of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See; and Anthony Poola, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad and the first archbishop from the Dalit Christian community.
However, the other two Indian cardinals, Oswald Gracias, the former Archbishop of Bombay, and George Alencherry, the Major Archbishop Emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Church, are ineligible to vote in the conclave as they have surpassed the age limit of 80 years.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936, was the first pontiff from Latin America. He passed away on Monday morning in Vatican City at the age of 88 after battling chronic lung disease, which had kept him hospitalised for 38 days and left him extremely physically weak.
Despite his illness, Pope Francis made a public appearance on Easter Sunday from the same gallery where he had been introduced as the leader of the Catholic Church in 2013.
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, one of the eligible electors, reflected on Pope Francis’ legacy, saying he would be remembered as “a Pope of the people.”
He remarked that Pope Francis’ death mirrored his connection with the people, highlighting how he met thousands of people at St Peter’s Square on Easter before his passing. “My assessment was always that he would die with the people. And that’s exactly what happened,” Cleemis told reporters.
Cardinal Ferrao also spoke about Pope Francis’ special bond with India. He noted that the Pope “longed” to visit India and emphasised his contributions to the Indian Church, such as the canonisation of five saints from the country during his papacy.
These saints include St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara and St. Euphrasia Eluvathingal in 2014, St. Joseph Vaz in 2015, St. Mariam Thresia Chiramel in 2019, and St. Devasahayam Pillai in 2022.
Cardinal George Alencherry, who participated in the 2013 conclave to elect Pope Francis, shared his thoughts on the late pontiff. He described Pope Francis as someone who used not just his intellect but also his heart to communicate with the people, prioritising the poor, marginalised, orphans, and refugees.
“By taking his papal name from St. Francis of Assisi, he adopted the ideals of tackling poverty, loving nature, and promoting brotherhood as part of his motto,” Cardinal Alencherry said.
The conclave, now set in motion following the death of Pope Francis, will be pivotal in selecting the new leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.
