Hyderabad archbishop appointed cardinal, 1st from Dalit caste

HYDERABAD: Archbishop of Hyderabad Diocese, Dr Poola Anthony, officially became the first Dalit to be appointed a cardinal on Saturday evening. Pope Francis placed the red biretta on Anthony's head as well as the ring on his hand at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City at 7.30 pm IST. Francis then embraced Poola and had a brief conversation with him before he bowed out.

The Vatican, so far, had four cardinals of Indian origin. The elevation of Anthony and Filipe Neri Ferrao from Goa takes the total to six.

Anthony, 60, was ordained as a priest in 1992 and was appointed bishop of Kurnool in 2008. In 2020, he was named archbishop of Hyderabad and was elected a cardinal by Pope Francis in May 2022.

Archbishop of Hyderabad Diocese, Dr Poola Anthony achieved notable recognition not only for becoming the first Dalit cardinal but also the first from the Telugu states to get the key post

Archbishop of Hyderabad Diocese, Dr Poola Anthony achieved notable recognition not only for becoming the first Dalit cardinal but also the first from the Telugu states to get the key post