Archbishop Anthony Poola Becomes First Ever Dalit Person To Be Appointed As Cardinal In India

Archbishop Anthony Poola, hailing from the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, became the first ever Telugu and Dalit person to have been elevated to the ranks of the Cardinal by the Pope. Having been given such an important rank, many believe that this would bring about the much-needed representation and progress for the Dalit community.

The Pope had announced that 21 churchmen, including two from India, would be raised to the rank of Cardinal, which comes second to the title of the Pope. Among the two selected individuals were Poola and Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao.

Representing The Country And The Marginalised

The 21 Cardinals that were named by the Pope represent the churches worldwide and come from various cultures and pastoral ministries. The highly honoured rank recognised six Cardinals from Asia, eight from Europe, two from Africa, four from Latin America, and one from North America. Among these, India had the honour of being represented by two archbishops - Anthony Poola from Hyderabad and Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa.

The inclusion of Poola in the list of selected Cardinals is considered to be a landmark move as it marks the first time an individual from the marginalised Dalit community was named to be in the College of Cardinals of the Roman Pontiff to guide him in several matters.

Despite over 60% of the Catholic Church followers in India being Dalits, as reported by the Economic Times, this is the first time in the history of the Catholic Church in India that a Dalit individual has been installed as a Cardinal. The ceremony held on August 27 at the St Peter's Basilica in Vatican city stood witness to this historic moment.

The rank holds immense importance on the global level as they fall right below the Pope in the Catholic hierarchy and are exclusively named and appointed by the Pope. A delegation from the Archdiocese of Hyderabad celebrated the decision by going to the Vatican to see the ceremony and called it a "truly proud moment".

Two Indians In The College Of Cardinals

The College of Cardinals is a body that was set in place to advise the Pope regarding matters with the Church and elect a new pope in a conclave from among themselves when the Holy See is vacant.

As per a report by the News9 Live, Archbishop Poola had become a priest in 1992 and was leading the Kurnool's diocese as a Bishop for over 12 years before being named a Cardinal. Over the period, he also chaired the Youth Commission Telugu region and Telugu Catholic Bishops Council's treasurer.

Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao of Goa and Daman is the other priest from India who was elevated to the ranks of Cardinal. He was ordained as a priest in 1979 and was given the title of Archbishop of Goa and Daman in 2003.

Also Read: Historic Meet: Modi Becomes The First Indian PM To Meet The Pope In Last 20 Years