Joseph Cordeiro
Encyclopedia
Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro (January 19, 1918, Bombay, British India — February 11, 1994, Karachi
, Pakistan) was the first Pakistan
i cardinal
.
, Sri Lanka
and was ordained a priest in Karachi
, Pakistan on 24 August 1946.
and Karachi. He then went to Oxford from where he returned in 1950 with a Master of Arts degree. On his return he was appointed as Vice Principal of St Patrick's High School. From 1952 he served as principal of St Francis Grammar School in Quetta
and as rector of the St. Pius X Seminary
in Quetta. On 7 May 1958 he was appointed Archbishop of Karachi, with his seat at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi
.
He attended the Second Vatican Council
(1962–1965), the First Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City
(29 September - 29 October 1967), the First Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City (11–28 October 1969), and the Second Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City (30 September - 6 November 1971). He was elected a member of the Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops on 6 November 1971.
He was the first Pakistani cardinal, a position to which he was elevated by Pope Paul VI
on 5 March 1973. He attended both papal conclave
s in 1978 and was mentioned as papabile
by Time Magazine after the death of Pope John Paul I
.
He wrote a series of articles for the Archdiocesan weekly Christian Voice
called "Lessons of a Lifetime," a reflection on his life experiences.
From 1958 until the time of his death, Cardinal Cordeiro was president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan.
after a battle with cancer. He was succeeded by Archbishop Simeon Anthony Pereira
.
His memory lives on with the Christ the King Seminary
in Karachi hosting the Cardinal Cordeiro Cricket tournament to promote religious vocations since 2008.
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan) was the first Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
.
Education
He was educated at St Patrick's High School, Karachi, the University of Bombay and Oxford University. He received his religious training at the Papal Seminary in KandyKandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and was ordained a priest in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan on 24 August 1946.
Life as a priest
From 1946 to 1948 he did pastoral work in HyderabadHyderabad, Sindh
is the second largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the seventh largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot...
and Karachi. He then went to Oxford from where he returned in 1950 with a Master of Arts degree. On his return he was appointed as Vice Principal of St Patrick's High School. From 1952 he served as principal of St Francis Grammar School in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
and as rector of the St. Pius X Seminary
St. Pius X Seminary
The Seminary of St. Pius X , or St. Pius X Seminary, is a Filipino Roman Catholic secondary school and seminary in the Lawaan hills, Roxas City, Capiz in the Philippines run by the Catholic priests of the Archdiocese of Capiz. The seminary and its surrounding areas comprise some three hectares of...
in Quetta. On 7 May 1958 he was appointed Archbishop of Karachi, with his seat at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi
Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi, is situated on Shahrah-e-Iraq, formerly known as Clarke Street, located near the Empress Market in Karachi, Pakistan....
.
He attended the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
(1962–1965), the First Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
(29 September - 29 October 1967), the First Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City (11–28 October 1969), and the Second Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City (30 September - 6 November 1971). He was elected a member of the Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops on 6 November 1971.
He was the first Pakistani cardinal, a position to which he was elevated by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on 5 March 1973. He attended both papal conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
s in 1978 and was mentioned as papabile
Papabile
Papabile is an unofficial Italian term first coined by Vaticanologists and now used internationally in many languages to describe a cardinal of whom it is thought likely or possible that he will be elected pope. A literal English translation would be "popeable" or "one who might become pope".In...
by Time Magazine after the death of Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I
John Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
.
He wrote a series of articles for the Archdiocesan weekly Christian Voice
Christian Voice
Christian Voice may refer to:* Christian Voice , a UK fundamentalist Christian lobby group* Christian Voice , an American conservative Christian advocacy group* Christian Voice, Karachi, a Pakistani newspaper...
called "Lessons of a Lifetime," a reflection on his life experiences.
From 1958 until the time of his death, Cardinal Cordeiro was president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan.
Death
Cardinal Cordeiro died on February 11, 1994 at Holy Family HospitalHoly Family Hospital
Holy Family Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, was founded in 1948 by the Medical Mission Sisters, a Roman Catholic religious order for women based in Philadelphia, USA. This was at a time when very few health care facilities existed in Pakistan....
after a battle with cancer. He was succeeded by Archbishop Simeon Anthony Pereira
Simeon Anthony Pereira
Simeon Anthony Pereira was a former Archbishop of Karachi.He received his religious training at the Papal Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka and was ordained a priest on 24 August 1951...
.
His memory lives on with the Christ the King Seminary
Christ the King Seminary
The Christ the King Mission Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Quezon City, Philippines run by the Divine Word Missionaries, more popularly known as the "Society of the Divine Word" .-External links:*...
in Karachi hosting the Cardinal Cordeiro Cricket tournament to promote religious vocations since 2008.