Mon Apr 21 20:54:13 UTC 2025: ## Indian Cardinal Elevated by Pope Francis Before His Death
**Kochi, India (April 22, 2025)** – The death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday at the age of 88 has been met with tributes worldwide. His legacy includes the elevation of Indian priest George Jacob Koovakad to Cardinal in December 2024, a significant event for India’s Catholic community. Koovakad, 51, from Kerala, became the sixth Indian Cardinal, strengthening India’s representation at the Vatican. The Indian government sent a delegation to the ceremony, led by Union Minister George Kurian.
While Pope Francis’s planned visit to India never materialized, his papacy saw several other significant milestones for Indian Catholics. He canonized three Indian saints: Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Sister Euphrasia Eluvathingal, and Mariam Thresia (all from Kerala), and Devasahayam Pillai, the first Indian layman to be canonized. Despite these achievements, his efforts to resolve internal conflicts within the Syro-Malabar Church over the style of Holy Mass were unsuccessful. The Pope’s death follows a diagnosis of double pneumonia.
First Piper 