Pope Francis was presented with two significant works highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and governance on Tuesday.
The books, “Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery” and “Mann Ki Baat: Igniting Collective Change”, were gifted by the Bluekraft Digital Foundation. The foundation, a non-governmental organization based in New Delhi, focuses on empowering communities through public policy initiatives and data analytics.
The presentation was made by BJP leader and spokesman Anil Antony, who was part of a high-level Indian delegation attending the ordination of Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad as a Cardinal at the Vatican.
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The Indian delegation, led by Union Minister George Kurian, also included former Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh, Rajya Sabha MP Satam Singh Sandhu, and BJP leaders Anil Antony, Anoop Antony, and Tom Vadakkan.
Koovakad, 51, is affiliated with the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Changanacherry. He is the sixth person from Kerala to hold the position of Cardinal, becoming one of the 21 Cardinals worldwide responsible for the administration of the Roman Catholic Church and electing the Pope.
Currently based in the Vatican, Koovakad oversees Pope Francis’s international travel schedule. He began his diplomatic career in 2006 after completing training at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Throughout his career, he has served in Apostolic Nunciatures across various countries, including Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica, and Venezuela.
In Kerala, three churches are aligned with the Pope: the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the Latin Church, and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The last Keralaite elevated to the position of Cardinal was in 2012, when Reverend Moran Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, the head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was appointed.