The first Dalit Cardinal of India and Archbishop of Hyderabad, Poola Anthony, has been elected as the new President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) during its 37th general body meeting held on Saturday.
The 64-year-old is the first Dalit prelate to head India’s nearly 2 crore Catholics.
“With his election as President of the CBCI, Cardinal Poola Anthony assumes leadership of the Catholic Church in India at a crucial moment, bringing with him decades of pastoral experience, administrative leadership, and a strong commitment to the Church’s mission in service of faith, justice, and human dignity,” a press statement from CBCI read.
Those close to Cardinal Anthony said the church in India is undergoing “severe distress” on account of persecution of pastors and believers by “fringe elements”. He would be in charge of leading delegations of the church to bargain for minority rights in the country, sources in CBCI said.
The previous CBCI president was Archbishop Andrews Thazhathu from Kerala.
Cardinal Poola Anthony was born on November 15, 1961, in Poluru in the Diocese of Kurnool. After completing his formation at the minor seminary in Nuzvid, he pursued priestly studies at Saint Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bengaluru. He was ordained a priest on February 20, 1992, and incardinated into the Diocese of Kadapa.
In the initial years of his priestly ministry, he served as parish vicar at Saint Mary’s Cathedral (1992-1993) and Amagampalli (1993-1994), followed by pastoral service as parish priest in Tekurpet (1994-1995), Badvel (1995-2000), and Veerapalli (2000–2001).
From 2001 to 2003, he pursued higher studies in the United States, earning a Master’s degree in pastoral care and attending a theology course at Loyola University, Chicago, while offering pastoral ministry at Saint Genevieve Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
From 2004 to 2008, Cardinal Poola Anthony served as Director of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. He also held several key responsibilities in the Diocese of Kadapa, including diocesan consultor, secretary for education, deputy administrator of diocesan schools, and coordinator of the Sponsorship Programme.
He was appointed Bishop of Kurnool on February 8, 2008, and was consecrated on April 19, 2008.
On November 19, 2020, Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad. He was proclaimed cardinal by Pope Francis during the Consistory held on August 27, 2022, and was assigned the titular church of Ss. Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica.
Source: Indian Express
