By Matters India Reporter
Vatican City, Aug 31, 2022: The international edition of Cardinal Oswald Gracias’ autobiography was released at function in the Vatican City.
Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras and coordinator the Council of Cardinals, handed over the first copies of “Called to Serve” to Cardinal Anthony Poola, archbishop of Hyderabad, Bishop Paulo Rufini, prefect Dicastery for Communications, and Peter Purdue at a function August 30 in Maria Bambina Hall, Vatican City.
The book was introduced by Nigel Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of the Bengaluru-based Asian Trading Corporation Publishers. The book chronicles Cardinal Gracias’ life, Fernandes said. Cardinal Oswald “had to be convinced to publish the book,” he added.
The book, Fernandes said, covers the cardinal’s early life, seminary life, even some “crushes he had,” and offices he has held. “There are still so many things left uncovered,” Fernandes continued, “to the point that I wondered if we had done him justice in the book.”
Cardinal Gracias confirmed Fernandes’ remark that at first he was against the book project chronicling his life. “They convinced me”, he said, “saying that it was for the good of the Church in India.”
He said he can hardly believe he has spent fifty years as a priest and twenty-five as a bishop. Rather than looking back on what he has done, the cardinal says he still sees so much yet to do. His hope is that with the upcoming General Conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference, the entire Church in Asia will take a step forward in responding to their call to serve.
“Every baptized person is called to spend themselves for the Church,” Cardinal Gracias added.
Speaking on the occasion, Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, complimented Cardinal Gracias for his immense contribution to the Universal Church, especially as a respected confidante of the Pope Francis on the Council of Cardinals. He complimented the Church in India for the speed with which the Church documents are being published.
On the occasion Cardinal Gracias felicitated new Asian cardinals by presenting the the copy of the Book of the Gospels. Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, archbishop of Goa and Daman and president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in India (Latin Rite), replying on behalf of the new cardinals, thanked Cardinal Gracias and said they would work with commitment in the service of the Church according to the vision of Pope Francis.
The heads of the three individual Churches in India honored Cardinal Gracias with an Indian shawl, icon and plaque. Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, led the opening prayer while Cardinal Baselios Cleemis did the same for the closing prayers.
The other dignitaries present included Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect Dicastery for Clergy, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of München und Freising, Germany, and Cardinal Vincent Gerard Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, England.
The Asians were led by Salesian Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar. Others present were Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Indonesia, Cardinal Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda, Japan, Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, Laos, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Pakistan, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Cardinal Kriengsak Kovitvanit, Bangkok, Thailand, Cardinal Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva, East Timor, Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, Bishops Joseph Thykattil of Gwalior and Thomas Vazhappilly, Bishop Emeritus of Mysore.
The officials of the Vatican Curia, the Indian generals of the Religious congregations in Rome, the close relatives of the new Cardinals, and the officials of the Indian priests in Rome attended the program, says a press release from Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in India (Latin Rite).