Tag Archives: Pope Francis

Who is George Jacob Koovakad, the first Indian Catholic priest to be appointed as Cardinal? – Indian Express

Who is George Jacob Koovakad, the first Indian Catholic priest to be appointed as Cardinal? – Indian Express

George Jacob Koovakad, Archbishop of Nisibis of the Chaldeans, Turkey, Coordinator of Apostolic Journeys, receives from Pope Francis, the cardinals’ hat and ring as he is made cardinal during a solemn mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.Associated Press

The 51 year-old Monsignor – senior member of the clergy in the Catholic Church – was among the 21 priests from around the world inducted into the College of Cardinalsa on Saturday December 07, 2024 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

In a historic moment, Pope Francis elevated Archbishop George Jacob Koovakad to the rank of Cardinal, making him the first Catholic priest from India to be directly appointed to the rank.

The 51 year-old Monsignor – senior member of the clergy in the Catholic Church – who joined the Vatican Diplomatic Service in 2006, was among the 21 priests from around the world inducted into the College of Cardinalsa on Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Father Antony Vadakkekara, spokesperson of the Church said: “It is a great honor for the Syro-Malabar Church as one of its sons is elevated as cardinal directly, which is first in India.” Until now, only archbishops had been appointed cardinals in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the moment, calling it a matter of “great joy and pride for India.” He said, “His Eminence George Cardinal Koovakad has devoted his life in service of humanity as an ardent follower of Lord Jesus Christ. My best wishes for his future endeavours.”

Who is Monsignor Koovakad?

George Jacob Koovakad, belonging to the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Changanacherry, was born in 1973 in Thiruvananthapuram. He was ordained as a priest in 2004. He subsequently pursued advanced training for diplomatic service at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and has served in Apostolic Nunciatures in Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica, and Venezuela.

At the School of Canon Law, he obtained his Doctorate in June 2006, with a thesis on The Obligation of Poverty for Secular Clerics in the Codes of Canon Law and he had previously earned a Baccalaureate in 2002) and a Licentiate in 2004. He also served as an assistant vicar in a parish before moving to the Vatican.

After finishing the preparatory program at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 2006.

His early assignments included working at the nunciature – Embassey of the Holy See – in Algeria, followed by roles as secretary of the nunciature in South Korea from 2009 to 2012 and in Iran from 2012 to 2014. He then served as a counselor at the nunciatures in Costa Rica from 2014 to 2018 and in Venezuela from 2018 to 2020, according to Holy See’s Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

In 2014, he was honored with the title of Chaplain of His Holiness, and in 2019, he was named Prelate of Honor of His Holiness.

According to the Holy See, in July 2020 he joined the staff of the Secretariat of State and since 2021 Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad is a member of the Vatican’s diplomatic corps and is tasked with organising papal trips.

Pope Francis appointed Koovakad as the titular archbishop of Nisibis of the Chaldeans in October and he received his episcopal consecration last month, at Changanassery Cathedral from Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil.

How’s that? Keralite priests and seminarians make up official cricket team of Vatican – The New Indian Express

How’s that? Keralite priests and seminarians make up official cricket team of Vatican – The New Indian Express.

Amita George Updated on: 27 Jun 2024

The team is presently in England for a tournament which starts on June 28.

Image form the Vatican Cricket Club Facebook page

St. Peter’s Cricket Club, the official cricket team of Vatican, is making waves with its unique composition and aspirations.

The team, formed in 2014, has undergone a significant transformation. At present the team comprises entirely of Keralite priests and seminarians

Initially started as an ecumenical initiative with the Anglicans, the Vatican Cricket Team has expanded to play teams outside the religious sphere.

Inspired by Pope Francis, who in his first year championed the value of sport as a means of fostering dialogue, the club was formed with the aim of strengthening ties with countries and maintaining brotherhood through cricket.

Former team member Fr. Anil Ottakunel said that most members of the team are Indians. This stems from the fact that most of the priests and brothers in Rome are from India or the state of Kerala.

“There were years when it used to be 98 percent Malayalis and 1-2 from other countries,” he said.

At the time of his coming back to India he had participated in a four – match tournament in Malta.

On Friday, St Peter’s Cricket Club will mark a historic milestone as this team plays its first international match.

The competition titled Journey to the Light of Faith, will see the Vatican team competing against England at Wormsley Estate.

“It is a sort of an Evangelisation. It’s also more about forming connections with people”, Fr. Jose Eettulli, present captain of the team, told the newindianexpress. com.

For Fr. Jose, who hails from Changanassery, it’s an enriching experience. It is his seventh year in the team and he has been to Portugal, Kenya, Argentina and many more countries for tournaments. It is his third time in England and he said that they take the tournament seriously but it also serves a greater purpose.

“It is the first time we have an all Malayali team. We have always had mostly Indians in the team with two from England, one from Australia, one from Sri Lanka, three from Pakistan and one from Canada in different years.”

This demographic spread is due to the popularity of cricket in Asian countries and the prominent diversity in culture that is present among Asians. The players keep changing because most of the people who come here are seminarians who have come to study for a period of 3-5 years, said Fr. Jose Reechus, another teammate hailing from Trivandrum.

The practice sessions are the only time when these teammates get together, they are all in different universities or serving in different places.

The coach of the team is Dane Kirby, a former Australian district cricket team player.

“We are trained thoroughly,” said Fr. Eettulli.

“We play County 2 level teams and we have a 70 percent winning rate”. This is not his first captaincy stint. He led the team during the 2019-2020 season as well.

According to him, even though they are all players on the ground, there is a sort of a priestly witness during playing. “Getting angry or frustrated during a sport is common and is accepted. But we try to take and deal with everything gently and with a smile”, he said.

“The priest who is our team manager gave us all the advice that we have always kept close to us. He said that winning or losing is not important, playing with excellence is”.

The official Vatican Cricket Team

Apart from the captain Fr. Jose Eetulli, the other members are Fr Nelson Puthuparampil (Kannur), Fr Jose Richus (Thiruvananthapuram), Fr Prince Augustine (Kottayam), Fr Abin Mathew (Pala), Fr Joji Kavunkal (Chalakudy), Fr Santo Thomas (Kannur), Fr Paulson Kochuthara (Kochi), Fr Ebin Illikal (Thrissur), Brother Ebin Jose (Idukki), Brother Jays Jamie (Kothamangalam) and Brother Ajay Poovanpuzha (Kannur).

Image from the Vatican Cricket Club Facebook page

The team is in England for the tournament till July 4th.

Indore’s martyr nun Rani Maria beatified – The Times of India

•Beatification is one step away from Canonisation, and Sister Maria is the first nun from north India to be Beatified. (From The Times of India)

(News from “The Times of India:)INDORE: “Blessed Rani Maria, pray for us,” proclaimed Vatican ambassador Cardinal Angelo Amato on Saturday. And 15,000 Christians repeated the words after him at a local school in Indore, marking the beatification of Sister Rani Maria Vattalil as a martyr.

In the audience, was seated her killer Samandar Singh. Next to him sat the Blessed Maria’s sister, Sr Selmi. “I cannot undo what happened. That was also God’s call. This, too, is God’s call. She was a saint, and now she’ll be declared one too,” said Samandar who had stabbed her viciously 22 years ago. He was sentenced to life but was released in 2002 after Sister Selmi visited him in jail and asked that he be pardoned.

Bishops attend a ceremony for beatification of Rani Maria in Indore on Saturday.

Beatification is one step away from Canonisation, and Sister Maria is the first nun from north India to be Beatified and the seventh Indian to be beatified after Sister Alphonsa, Fr Kuriakose Chavara, Mother Euphrasia, Fr Joseph Vaz, Fr Gonsalo Garcia and Mother Teresa. The ceremony was held St. Paul’s HS School in the presence of Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for Cause of Saints (Vatican), and 45 bishops and five cardinals from India.

Just before Gloria (singing praises of God), Cardinal Amato read out the apostolic letter in Latin, announcing Pope Francis’s declaration that Sr Rani Maria be called Blessed and her feast may be celebrated every year on February 25 — the day she was martyred in 1995. The Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops arrived in the form of a procession.

•Her killer Samandar Singh, who was in the audience, said “I cannot undo what happened. That was also God’s call. This, too, is God’s call. She was a saint, and now she’ll be declared one too”.

Right after the announcement, a relic and a large portrait of Sister Maria were brought to the altar by the family members, representatives from the church in Kerala and representatives of Sr Rani Maria’s Franciscan Clarist Congregation. Cardinal Angelo Amato said, “She’s not just an inspiration to Udainagar church but to Catholics across the globe. Her sacrifice has become a beacon of light for missionaries. “

Please click here to watch a full five hours ceremony video.

PROTECT MIGRANT CHILDREN – Article by Fr. Cedric Prakash S.J.

PROTECT MIGRANT CHILDREN – Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ

On January 9th 2017, in an address to the members of the Diplomatic Corps from 181 countries accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis said, “children and young people are the future; it is for them that we work and build. They cannot be selfishly overlooked or forgotten…I consider it a priority to protect children, whose innocence is often violated by exploitation, clandestine and slave labour, prostitution or the abuse of adults, criminals and dealers in death.” and further, “I think of the young people affected by the brutal conflict in Syria, deprived of the joys of childhood and youth, such as the ability to play games and to attend school”. His message was loud and clear, a necessary step for security and peace everywhere, is to invest in children and particularly those who are directly affected by the numerous wars and conflicts of our time.

Pope Francis has been consistent in his focus on the painful reality of migrant children. On January 15th 2017, the Catholic Church will once again observe the ‘World Day of Migrants and Refugees’ and in a hard-hitting message for the day on ‘Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless’ Pope Francis writes, “I feel compelled to draw attention to the reality of child migrants, especially the ones who are alone. In doing so I ask everyone to take care of the young, who in a threefold way are defenseless: they are children, they are foreigners, and they have no means to protect themselves. I ask everyone to help those who, for various reasons, are forced to live far from their homeland and are separated from their families”.

There are today innumerable stories on the suffering of children who are in the midst of war or are fleeing war and persecution. From Syria to Myanmar; from Congo to Colombia; from Afghanistan to Sudan – the plight of migrant children labouring long hours in sweatshops; toiling in fields; begging on streets; or just left to the vagaries of hostile environments could make the coldest hearts thaw. The dead body of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year old Syrian child, which was washed up on a beach in Turkey early in September 2015, will forever be etched in the memory and conscience of anyone who cares.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) states that, “Over half of the world’s refugees are children. Many will spend their entire childhoods away from home, sometimes separated from their families. They may have witnessed or experienced violent acts and, in exile, are at risk of abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, trafficking or military recruitment”. Pope Francis reiterates this situation in his message also emphasizing that these children are deprived “of rights intrinsic to childhood as sanctioned by the International Convention on the Rights of the Child”.

Pope Francis calls upon the Christian community and the world at large to respond to the reality of the migrant children by working towards protection, integration and long-term solutions.

 He highlights the importance to adopt “every possible measure to guarantee the protection and safety of child migrants, because these boys and girls often end up on the street abandoned to themselves and prey to unscrupulous exploiters who often transform them into the object of physical, moral and sexual violence.” He does not mince words when he says, “if more rigorous and effective action is not taken against those who profit from such abuse, we will not be able to stop the multiple forms of slavery where children are the victims”.

The integration of migrant children is also essential; to have adequate policies and also the necessary financial resources to ensure for their assistance and inclusion. All are aware of how several ‘host countries’ create all possible obstacles to deny refugee children with appropriate formal education, healthcare and even with much –needed recreational facilities.

Finally, Pope Francis makes “a heartfelt appeal that long-term solutions be sought and adopted. Since this is a complex phenomenon, the question of child migrants must be tackled at its source. Wars, human rights violations, corruption, poverty, environmental imbalance and disasters, are all causes of this problem… far-sighted perspectives are called for, capable of offering adequate programmes for areas struck by the worst injustice and instability, in order that access to authentic development can be guaranteed for all. This development should promote the good of boys and girls, who are humanity’s hope”.

A visionary but strong challenge indeed! The moot point, as we observe the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, is to ask ourselves and those in power, whether enough is being done for the voiceless, vulnerable and invisible child migrant of today?  And if not, to get involved in more concerted action now!

10th January 2017 – Fr. Cedric Prakash

Fr Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights activist. He is currently based in Lebanon, engaged with the Jesuit Refugee Service(JRS) in the Middle East on advocacy and   communications.

Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com )             

Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ

Advocacy & Communications

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) MENA Region

Rue de L’Universitie Saint-Joseph

Achrafieh 11002150 BEIRUT  LEBANON

 

The full text of the Message of Pope Francis for World Day of Migrants and Refugees (January 15th 2017) can be found on https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/migration/documents/papa-francesco_20160908_world-migrants-day-2017.html

A seminar was organized by “Doot” – Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family – Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love)

વડાધર્મગુરૂ ફ્રાન્સિસ ધોષિત “લગ્ન અને પરિવાર વિષયક પરિપત્ર” – પ્રેમનો આનંદ (Amoris Latetitia) ના આધાર પર, સપ્ટેમ્બરની ૧૮ તારીખે પાવન હ્રદય “દૂત”  આણંદ દ્વારા “પારિવારિક પ્રેમનું મહિમાગાન “ વિષય પર દૂત-પરિસંવાદનું આયોજન કરવામાં આવ્યું હતું. વડોદરા ખાતે આ કાર્યક્રમનું ઉદઘાટન પ્રસિધ્ધ પત્રકાર, લેખક અને બ્લોગર શ્રી. ઉર્વીશ કોઠારીના હસ્તે કરવામાં આવ્યું હતું.

 

“પારિવારિક પડકારો”
“લગ્નભંગ સમસ્યા”
”પારિવારિક જીવનનો અનુભવ”

 

ઉપર જણાવેલા મુખ્ય ત્રણ વિષય પર સમાજના વિવિધ ક્ષેત્રોમાંથી આવેલા મહાનુભાવોએ પોતાના વિચારો રજૂ કર્યા હતા. બધા જ વિચારો અને પરિવારપ્રેમ, પારિવારિક પ્રશ્નો-પડકારો-પ્રવાહ  પરની પ્રામાણિક ચર્ચા-ચિંતનથી હાજર બધા સંતૃપ્ત થયાનો અભિપ્રાય જાણવા મળ્યો હતો. આવા સુંદર પરિસંવાદના આયોજન બદલ આયોજકો ઘન્યવાદને પાત્ર છે.
Please click on the image to read.
Please click on the image to read.
આ પ્રસંગે “દૂત”ના માનદ તંત્રી ફાધર ડો. વિનાયક જાદવે બીજરૂપ વક્તવ્ય આપ્યું હતું. ગુજરાત સાહિત્ય પ્રકાશ દ્વારા આ વક્તવ્યને પત્રિકા રૂપે પ્રકાશિત કરવામાં આવી છે. આ પત્રિકા ઈમેલ દ્વારા મળી છે જે વાંચવા ઉપર ના પિક્ચર પર ક્લિક કરો.

 

Please click on the below image to read the entire Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), released April 8, 2016 to Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Consecrated persons persons, Christian Married couples and all the lay faithful on LOVE IN THE FAMILY.  
Please click on the image to read.
Please click on the image to read.

 

Please click on the below image to read the summary Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), released April 8, 2016 to Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Consecrated persons persons, Christian Married couples and all the lay faithful on LOVE IN THE FAMILY.  
Please click on image to read.
Please click on image to read.