Who is Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, the priest adorning a white cloak at Pope Francis' funeral?
Image credits: X/@GeoPolEnjoyer
The 266th pope of the
Roman Catholic Church
,
Pope Francis
was laid to rest in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, Italy on April 26th, 2025. His funeral was attended by thousands of people, from world leaders to priests from across the globe.
However, there is one priest who has caught the eye of many during the funeral. In a photo going viral on X, a group of priests all adorned in similar red cloaks with the same designs can be seen standing together. But, between them stands one priest in a white cloak and a unique cross design on the back. People on the social media site have been trying to figure out who he is and why his cloak was different from the others.
"That white cloak is an Indian cardinal btw. Our guy has his own colours and cross and everything." wrote an X user informing others. Since then many have commented on the viral post saying that he is none other than
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad
, the first priest to be promoted to the position of a cardinal by Pope Francis himself.
Who is Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad?
Image credits: Getty Images
December 2024 marked an important development for the Catholics in India with Archbishop George Jacob Koovakad becoming the first Catholic priest from India to be elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis. Koovakad was one of the 21 priests from across the globe who were inducted into the College of Cardinals at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Since January 2025, George Jacob Koovkad has been serving as the Prefect of the
Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue
and head of Apostolic Journeys at the Secretariat of the State. He was born in Chethipuzha in the Kottayam district of Kerala on August 11, 1973. He was ordained as a priest on July 24, 2004, in Changanacherry after which he graduated in Canon Law and moved on to enter the Holy See Diplomatic Service in 2006. From 2006 to 2009 he served at the apostolic nunciature in Algeria as secretary, in 2009 he was transferred to the apostolic nunciature in Korea and in 2012 to the apostolic nunciature in Iran. He moved on to work in Costa Rica and Venezuela.
In 2020, he began working as the Secretariat of State in the section for General Affairs and in 2021 he was charged with the organization of Apostolic Journeys by Pope Francis.
Why was Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad wearing a white cloak?
Image credits: Getty Images
Cardinal Koovakad has played an important role in service at the
Syro-Malabar Church
. The church located in Kerala is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches and is fully in communion with the Pope and the Vatican.
However, it follows the East Syriac liturgical tradition and not the Roman rites. From their language to their vestments and rituals, all vary from the Latin Church. While they are catholic like any other catholic church their expression of Catholicism is more inclined towards the East. This is why while the other priests were all dressed in red cloaks, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad attended Pope Francis' funeral in a white one.
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