Filipe Neri Ferrao among four of six Indian cardinals to vote for new Pope

Panaji: Out of six Indian cardinals, four who are under the age of 80 years will be eligible to vote for a new Pope at the Papal Conclave to be held in Rome after Pope Francis’ funeral.
Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, who is also the president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference (FABC), will vote for a new Pope along with three other Indian cardinals.
“Pope Francis had a special love for India and longed to visit our land,” Ferrao stated after his demise, calling on all churches and the faithful to observe nine days of mourning and to offer special prayers and Masses for the repose of his soul.
In a recent message to Indian bishops gathered at the 36th CCBI Plenary Assembly in Bhubaneswar in Jan 2024, Pope Francis urged them to prioritise the poor and vulnerable in their ministry, calling on them to open wide the doors of the Church, Ferrao stated.
“Pope Francis canonised five Indian saints: St Kuriakose Elias Chavara and St Euphrasia Eluvathingal on Nov 23, 2014, St Joseph Vaz on Jan 14, 2015, St Mariam Thresia Chiramel on Oct 13, 2019, and St Devasahayam Pillai on May 15, 2022,” Ferrao stated further.
Major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, who is 64 years old, and Cardinal George Koovakad, 51, who was inducted into the College of Cardinals on Dec 7 last year, will also vote.
Koovakad, a diplomat for the Vatican, belongs to the Syro-Malabar Church, from the archdiocese of Changanacherry, and was in charge of coordinating Pope Francis’ foreign trips since 2021. He was in Goa last year as part of a Vatican delegation for the Exposition of the relics of St Francis Xavier.
Cardinal Anthony Poola, 63, the first Dalit cardinal in history and archbishop of Hyderabad, is also eligible to vote for a new pope.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, who is 80 years old, will not be eligible to vote. Similarly, Major archbishop emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal George Alencherry, who turned 80 on April 19, won’t be eligible to vote.