A Cardinal-elect, Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, says a movie about St Francis of Assisi led him to become a priest.
Coutts, who is a doctor of philosophy, is the second Pakistani to become a cardinal. The late Joseph Cordeiro was made a cardinal in 1973.
Coutts is known for his services for interfaith relations, human rights and minorities in Pakistan.
He has a deep communion with Muslim, Hindu and Sikh scholars and with the common people and has helped build bridges among different faiths in Pakistan.
The Shalom Prize, which is awarded to those who promote peace in the world by the Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt in Germany, went to Coutts in 2017.
It rewarded his dedicated service to human rights and interfaith dialogue in Pakistan.
In a joint statement, Pakistan Catholics Bishops’ Conference President and National Commission of Justice & Peace Chairman (NCJP) Joseph Arshad, Reverend Emmanuel Yousaf and NCJP Executive Director Cecil Shane Chaudhry praised Coutts.
They said his selection as a cardinal is truly a historic and a great moment of pride for the Catholic community and the entire nation.
“We have very optimistic feelings regarding this decision. Archbishop Coutts is a visionary with immense knowledge and in-depth understanding of political matters,” they said.
Yousaf said the issues of human rights in Pakistan will now carry more weight and people will have a stronger voice internationally.
“We believe his [Coutts’s] leadership will boost our morale and Archbishop Coutts will be a reason for progress of the local church.”
Priests as well as students from the Oblate Community of Lahore are delighted with the news.
“Finally we get recognition on a wider scale,” said seminary professor Father Cecil Paul.
“Now we shall have direct representation in the Vatican, just like neighbouring India who have four red hats.”
Father Paul hoped the incoming cardinal would develop diplomatic relationships with foreign representatives as well as top military and political leaders in Pakistan.
Two and a half million Christians in Pakistan have faced increased discrimination and violence since the government enacted anti-blasphemy laws in the 1980s that have been used by some hard-line Islamic groups to target other faiths.
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