Hyderabad-based Anthony Poola becomes first Dalit Cardinal in history

Hyderabad-based Anthony Poola has been appointed as Cardinal of the Catholic Church by Pope Francis. With this, he has become the first Telugu person as well as the first Dalit in history to have been selected for the rank of Cardinal. The announcement was made on Sunday. Earlier, Pope Francis had appointed him as Archbishop of Hyderabad in 2020.

Anthony Poola is 62 years old, and he belongs to Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district. Before becoming the Archbishop of Hyderabad, Poola had led Kurnool's diocese as Bishop for a period of over 12 years. He had become a priest in 1992 at Kadapa.

He had also served as the chairman of the Youth Commission Telugu region and Telugu Catholic Bishops Council's treasurer.


On his elevation, Poola said that it was "God's will", and his appointment would solidify the Christian faith in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He also thanked Pope Francis for trusting him.

The news of Poola's elevation to Cardinal has made Telugu Catholic Bishop's Council delighted. Several Dalit groups have also expressed their happiness over the appointment. According to them, the elevation of Poola is an honour for the deprived sections of the society. Notably, over 60% of the Catholic Church followers in India are Dalit.

Pope Francis elevated 21 churchmen to the rank of Cardinal on Sunday. The rank of Cardinal is second only to the title of the Pope. Besides Poola, Goa and Daman's Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao di Rosario Ferrao has also been appointed as Cardinal. The inclusion of Poola and Filipe has pushed the number of Cardinals from India to six.

The new Cardinals will undertake their responsibility in the month of August. The Pope personally selects 229 Cardinals for The College of Cardinals. The Cardinals serve as papal envoys, tender advice to the Pope, and elect the new Pope.