Pakistan: Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi — a strong proponent of inter-religious harmony — is set to be appointed as a cardinal by Pope Francis on June 29.
Pakistan’s Archbishop is one of the 14 new cardinals who will be presented with traditional red hats and new responsibilities at a ceremony known as consistory in Rome on June 29.
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“I am happy to announce that on June 29 there will be a consistory meeting to appoint 14 new cardinals. Their origins reflect the universality of the church,” Pope Francis said in surprise address to pilgrims and tourists in Saint Peter’s square from a Vatican palace window.
In the Roman Catholic Church, a consistory is a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals called by the pope.
Pope Francis on Sunday revealed his latest picks to be cardinals in the Catholic Church — who surprisingly come from Iraq, Pakistan and Japan, where Christians are a vulnerable minority.
In Pakistan, there are about one million Catholics among the 2.5 million Christians in the country’s 180 million people, the vast majority of whom are Muslims.
Surprised
“I am very surprised at my elevation as cardinal,” Archbishop Joseph Coutts was quoted as saying by UCAN.
He said he is yet to be officially notified by the Vatican and looks forward “to traveling to the Vatican in June to receive the red hat.”
The selection of trhe Archbishop of Karachi is a proud moment for Pakistan’s Christian community as Coutts will be the second Pakistani archbishop to be honoured with the position after the death of Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro back in 1994.
Archbishop Coutts was ordained a priest in Lahore in January 1971 after receiving his training at Christ the King seminary in Karachi.
Focus on interfaith harmony
Coutts is a doctor of philosophy and can speak several languages including English, Italian, German, French, Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi.
He is also the president of Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference.
The Lahore-based archbishop previously served as a bishop in Faisalabad and Hyderabad.
For the last six years, Archbishop Coutts has been serving his community as Head Bishop at Saint Patrick’s Church in Karachi with focus on inter-faith harmony.
“Karachi is a major metropolitan city as compared to Faisalabad and there are more ethnicities and difficulties between religious sects here. To bring peace in the city and among people, we have to work on harmony and increase tolerance levels among every school of thought,” he stressed earlier in a talk with local media.
During his 14 years as bishop in Faisalabad, he established a committee to solve the religious differences between Muslims, Christians and Hindus.
The Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany awarded Bishop Coutts the 2007 Shalom Prize for his commitment to interfaith dialogue in Pakistan.
Cardinals, bishops and Vatican officials from all over the world, are personally chosen by the pope.
Their primary responsibility is to elect a new pope besides holding the highest administrative offices in the church.
The new cardinals will receive their “red hats” at a ceremony known as consistory in Rome on June 29.
