PM Modi Sends High-Level Indian Delegation To Attend Kerala Priest’s Ordination At Vatican – News18
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Koovakad is one of the 21 priests elevated to the rank of cardinal in a special announcement by Pope Francis on October 6
51-year-old Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad hails from the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Changanacherry in Kerala. (AP file photo)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sending a high-level Indian delegation to the Vatican City for the ordination of Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad as a cardinal by Pope Francis. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 7.
51-year-old Monsignor Koovakad, hailing from the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Changanacherry in Kerala, has been instrumental in organising Pope Francis’ international travels since 2020.
Koovakad is one of the 21 priests elevated to the rank of cardinal in a special announcement by Pope Francis on October 6. The formal ceremony will take place on December 8.
The Indian delegation attending the event will be led by Union Minister of State for Fisheries, George Kurian. Other members include Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh, Rajya Sabha MP Satam Singh Sandhu, and BJP leaders Anil Antony, Anoop Antony, and Tom Vadakkan, news agency ANI reported.
“It is an extremely proud moment for all the Indians, especially the Christian community. Father George Koovakad who is from Kerala, is becoming a cardinal…He is the first father who is becoming a cardinal directly and the Pope is ordaining him on the 7th evening,” Chandrasekhar told the agency.
Meanwhile, Anil Antony told the publication the importance of PM Modi’s outreach to global communities, noting that the delegation’s attendance is a reflection of the Prime Minister’s efforts to reach out to India’s diverse communities.
“Our prime minister in the last 10 years has always made it one of his most important missions to reach out to all global communities…There is a large Christian population in Goa, a large Christian population in the northeast, Kerala and all these places. Now you are seeing more and more people supporting the party and our prime minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat,” he noted.
(With inputs from ANI)
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