Meet 4 Indian Cardinals who'll vote to elect new Pope
What's the story
After the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, the Catholic Church is set to witness a major change.
A total of 135 cardinals below the age of 80 will assemble in Vatican City's Sistine Chapel to choose his successor.
They include four Indian cardinals: Cardinal Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Cardinal Anthony Poola, and Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad.
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Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao: Advocate for social justice
Cardinal Filipe Neri, 72, is the Metropolitan Archbishop of Goa and Daman. He is also the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India and the Federation of Asian Bishops's Conferences.
The seventh Patriarch of the East Indies, he is passionate about family ministry, interfaith dialogue, and social justice.
"He has long worked to support migrants and protect the environment," Church officials acknowledged.
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Cardinal Baselios Cleemis: Guardian of Syro-Malankara traditions
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, 64, is the Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church headquartered in Trivandrum. He has been guiding its spiritual journey as President of the Synod.
Being part of the College of Cardinals since 2012, his leadership has been instrumental in preserving unique traditions and teachings within the Syro-Malankara community.
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Cardinal Anthony Poola: Symbol of equality
Cardinal Anthony, 63, is the Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad. He created history by becoming India's first Dalit cardinal, a powerful step toward equality in the Church.
His appointment is a symbol of hope and progress for people who face caste-based discrimination, a Vatican spokesperson said.
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Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad: A new generation leader
Cardinal George Jacob (51) is the Cardinal-Deacon of S. Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia in Rome and the head of the Vatican's Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.
He is a bridge-builder, with a fresh take on interfaith dialogue across the globe.
Observers see him as a new generation of Church leadership, given his deep involvement in promoting understanding among different religions across the world.