Historic Choice: Cardinal Poola Anthony Elected President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India
Bengaluru, February 7: His Eminence , Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad, has been elected as the new President of the (CBCI) at its 37th General Body Meeting held on Friday.
Born on November 15, 1961, in Poluru in the Diocese of Kurnool, Cardinal Poola Anthony began his priestly formation at the minor seminary in Nuzvid before pursuing advanced theological studies at Saint Peter’s Pontifical Seminary in Bengaluru. He was ordained a priest on February 20, 1992, and was incardinated into the Diocese of Cuddapah.
In the early years of his ministry, he served as parish vicar at Saint Mary’s Cathedral and Amagampalli, later taking on pastoral leadership as parish priest in Tekurpet, Badvel, and Veerapalli. Between 2001 and 2003, he pursued higher studies in the United States, earning a master’s degree in pastoral care and attending theology courses at Loyola University, Chicago, while also serving at Saint Genevieve Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
From 2004 to 2008, Cardinal Poola Anthony served as Director of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging and held several key administrative responsibilities within the Diocese of Cuddapah, including diocesan consultor, Secretary for Education, Deputy Administrator of diocesan schools, and coordinator of the Sponsorship Programme.
He was appointed Bishop of Kurnool on February 8, 2008, and consecrated on April 19 the same year. On November 19, 2020, Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals during the Consistory held on August 27, 2022, and assigned the titular church of Ss. Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica.
With his election as CBCI President, Cardinal Poola Anthony assumes leadership of the Catholic Church in India at a crucial juncture. Bringing decades of pastoral experience, administrative leadership, and a strong commitment to faith, justice, and human dignity, his tenure is expected to shape the Church’s national mission in the years ahead.
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