Syro-Malabar Church in jubilation over elevation of Archbishop Koovakad as cardinal

The priests, nuns and laity of the Syro-Malabar Church are jubilant as Titular Archbishop of Nisibis George Jacob Koovakad gets elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica at 9 p.m. on on December 7. Kerala-born Koovakad, 51, who has been organising Pope Francis’ international travels since 2020, will be among the 21 clergy elevated to the rank of cardinal. He is currently based in the Vatican.

The priests, nuns and laity of the Syro-Malabar Church are jubilant as Titular Archbishop of Nisibis George Jacob Koovakad gets elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica at 9 p.m. on on December 7.

Kerala-born Koovakad, 51, who has been organising Pope Francis’ international travels since 2020, will be among the 21 clergy elevated to the rank of cardinal. He is currently based in the Vatican.

A delegation from the Archdiocese of Changanassery, to which he belongs, departed for the Vatican on Thursday to attend the elevation ceremony. The delegation is led by Changanassery Archbishop Mar Thomas Tharayil.

Archbishop Koovakad becomes the third cardinal from the Changanassery archdiocese following the late Cardinal Antony Padiyara and Cardinal George Alencherry.

Born on August 11, 1973 in Thiruvananthapuram, Koovakad was ordained as priest on July 24, 2004. He later pursued training for diplomatic service at the prestigious Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. In 2006, he began his diplomatic career at the Apostolic Nunciature in Algeria.

Over the years, Koovakad held various significant roles, including Secretary of the Nunciature in South Korea (2009–2012) and Iran (2012–2014). He subsequently served as Counsellor of the Nunciatures in Costa Rica (2014–2018) and Venezuela (2018–2020). In 2020, he joined the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, where he assumed responsibility for organising the Pope’s global travels, according to the Church.

Following the ceremony, the new Cardinals will visit Pope at the Vatican Palace to receive his blessing. On Sunday at 1 p.m. (IST), they will join the Pope in celebrating holy Mass, according to a Church release.