Cardinals are called princes of the Catholic Church though Pope Francis reminded them at an ordination ceremony a few years ago that Jesus would not call them so. It’s an opportunity to serve the people, like him, the Pontiff told the new entrants to the rarefied world in the Church.
It would not make a big difference to a world which has very little idea about the Indian caste system when Dr Antony Poola, Archbishop of Hyderabad, is anointed Cardinal by Pope Francis. But for Indians, it is a big first, for he is a Dalit, and the first Dalit Cardinal. With his elevation, Dr Antony will be a one among the 226 serving Cardinals and will be a member of the 132-member College of Cardinals which will elect a new Pope. Cardinals aged below 80 are part of this exclusive club. At present, there are six Indian Cardinals, including Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao of Goa and Daman who was made one along with Dr Anthony; five have voting rights in the papal election.
The survival of the Catholic Church for more than 20 centuries is due to its ability to understand and even foresee the changes that visit humanity in its long march through time. The elections of a Polish Pope in the last quarter of the last century and the choice of an Argentine as Pope a few years ago were signals of that agility. At the same time, today’s Church is not the one which instituted Inquisitions and burnt scientists to death; it now asks for forgiveness for its sins.
The Catholic Church recognises no caste system and Dr Anthony may not be representing the Dalits in the Church de jure. But, de facto, he belongs to a section of people who were kept off the mainstream in one of the oldest human civilisations; and he will now be part of the global leadership of one of the oldest institutions. That makes his elevation all the more significant.
