Goan origin Archbishop Joseph Coutts will be appointed Cardinal by Pope Francis in a ceremony at the Vatican this evening. A total of 14 new Cardinals from 11 countries around the world will be created in an Ordinary Public Consistory at St. Peter’s Square by Pope Francis.
Archbishop Joseph Coutts
Archbishop of Karachi, Joseph Coutts replaced Evarist Pinto in 2012. He will be the second Pakistani archbishop to be honoured with the position of Cardinal after the death of Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro back in 1994.
Son of Pedro Jose Couto of Ranoi, Aldona, a famous village in North Goa, Coutts, 72, has a family home at Uccasaim. He will become the country’s second Goan-origin ‘prince of the church’ after Joseph Cordeiro (1918-1994) who is from Salvador do Mundo.
A doctor of philosophy, Joseph Coutts can speak several languages including English, Italian, German, French, Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi.
Anil Couto, who is currently Archbishop of Delhi is his first cousin. Coutts has visited Goa on a number of occasions, and was also the main celebrant on January 16, 2000, when St Joseph Vaz was proclaimed the patron of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.
As well as having the key role of choosing a new pope, cardinals often also hold the highest administrative offices in the church.
Information Credit: ToI, Tribune, Vatican News
