Pope Francis has announced to elevate 14 churchmen to the rank of cardinal in the Catholic Church. The new nominations include the Archbishop of Karachi, Joseph Coutts, as well. Joseph Coutts was appointed as the Archbishop of Karachi in 2012, replacing Evarist Pinto.
This will make Coutts just the second Pakistani archbishop to be appointed as the cardinal. Pakistan’s first ever cardinal – Joseph Cordeiro – died back in 1994.
Joseph Coutts
The archbishop holds a Ph.D. and can speak several languages including English, Italian, German, French, Urdu, Punjabi, and Sindhi. He has served as National Director of Caritas Pakistan and is currently the president of Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference.
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While announcing the new cardinals, Pope told that the different origins of the new appointees “express the universality of the church, which continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all people of the earth.”
11 out of the 14 new cardinals are under 80 years of age – the age limit to elect the new pope. Which means that these 11 will form the Sacred College that will elect the new pope once Pope Francis retires.
The Appointments
Here are the rest of the appointments made by Pope Francis;
- Louis Raphaël I Sako – Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon
- Luis Ladaria –Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
- Angelo De Donatis – Vicar General of Rome
- Giovanni Angelo Becciu – Substitute of the Secretary of State and Special Delegate for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- Konrad Krajewski – Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities
- Joseph Coutts – Archbishop of Karachi
- António dos Santos Marto – Bishop of Leiria-Fátima
- Pedro Barreto – Archbishop of Huancayo
- Desiré Tsarahazana – Archbishop of Toamasina
- Giuseppe Petrocchi – Archbishop of L’Aquila
- Thomas Aquinas Manyo – Archbishop of Osaka
- Sergio Obeso Rivera – Emeritus Archbishop of Xalapa.
- Toribio Ticona Porco – Emeritus Bishop of Corocoro.
- Aquilino Bocos Merino – the member of the Claretian order.
The new cardinals will be officially appointed at the consistory ceremony on 29th June.
Congratulations
CONGRATS