Who is George Jacob Koovakad, the Indian Catholic priest elevated as Cardinal by Pope Francis

Along with Koovakad, 20 other priests from around the world were inducted as Cardinals in a ceremony held at St Peter's Basilica.

Updated on: Dec 8, 2024, 10:58:48 IST

By HT News Desk | Edited by Shivam Pratap Singh

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Pope Francis elevated Indian catholic priest George Jacob Koovakad to the rank of Cardinal in a ceremony held in the Vatican on Saturday.

New Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad attends a consistory ceremony to elevate Roman Catholic prelates to the rank of cardinal, in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, (REUTERS)

Along with Koovakad, 20 other priests from around the world were inducted as Cardinals in a ceremony held at St Peter's Basilica in the presence of the top Catholic clergy.

Who is George Jacob Koovakad

George Jacob Koovakad belongs to the Archdiocese of Changanassery in Kerala. In the current setup, he is the sixth Indian Cardinal, a big boost to Indian representation in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy.

Koovakad was born on August 11, 1973 in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. He joined the Catholic clergy as a priest in 2004 and went on to pursue training in diplomatic service at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, according to information in reports.

Koovakad started his diplomatic career within the Catholic Church in 2006 at the Apostolic Nunciature in Algeria.

He has held various posts throughout his career so far, with stints as Secretary of the Nunciature in South Korea from 2009 to 2012 and a similar assignment in Iran from 2012 to 2014.

From 2014 to 2020, he served in Latin America, first as the counselor of the Nunciature in Costa Rica till 2018 and then of the one in Venezuela from 2018 to 2020.

Since 2020, he has been posted in the Secretariat of the State of the Holy See and has been overseeing the organisation of the Pontiff’s travels around the world.

He has also held the titular position of ‘Archbishop of Nisibis in Turkey.

"It is a matter of immense pride for India that Archbishop George Koovakad will be created as a Cardinal by His Holiness Pope Francis," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Koovakad’s elevation in a post on ‘X' on Saturday.

Indian delegation at the ceremony consisted of members of the Union Cabinet and other senior politicians.

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