Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy (5 February 1924 – 2 June 2014) was an Indian
cardinal of the Catholic Church
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
. He was the
Prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
of the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...
in the
Roman Curia and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1985. His episcopical motto was ''Aedificare domum Dei'' which means "To build the house of God". He was the fourth cardinal from India and the first
curial cardinal of Asia outside of the Middle East.
Biography
Lourdusamy was born in Kalleri (Archdiocese of Pondicherry),
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
state,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, as the seventh of twelve children of Annamarie (aka Matharasi) and Duraisamy Simeon. Lourdusamy was the elder brother of priest and
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
D. S. Amalorpavadass, who was killed in an automobile accident while travelling from Mysore to Bangalore. The two of them played a significant part in the implementation of Vatican II Council reforms in India and leading others to do the same.
He enjoyed a close relationship with Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul I, and most especially, with Pope John Paul II and his fellow curial cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and future Pope Benedict XVI. John XXIII elevated him to the episcopal ranks and appointed him to the See of Bangalore, Pope Paul VI invited him to Rome to serve the Universal Church from 1971. Cardinal Lourdusamy also worked with Pope John Paul I as Secretary of the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples. The Cardinal worked very closely with John Paul II for 26 years in various capacities, and he served as Prefect of the Oriental Churches alongside Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) who was the Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine of Faith.
He had his early education at St. Ann's in Tindivanam. Then he finished his high school studies at St. Joseph Higher School of Cuddalore; then he entered St. Agnes's Minor Seminary in Cuddalore, and completed major seminary education in Philosophy and Theology at St. Peter's Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore from 1946 to 1951.
He was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
to the priesthood on 21 December 1951 at Seven Dolours Church, Tindivanam, Pondicherry by Archbishop
Auguste-Siméon Colas,
MEP, the Archbishop of
Pondicherry and Cuddalore. 1951–1952, pastoral ministry in the archdiocese of Pondicherry.
After studying further at
Loyola College in
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(1952–1953), he was sent to Rome to pursue higher studies in the area of Canon Law at the
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...
(1953–1956), from where he obtained a doctorate. He obtained 100% in all of his exams in canon law studies, something which had never occurred in other Roman universities. He plays the piano, and has composed the music for devotional songs.
On returning to the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore, Fr. Lourdusamy served as Archdiocesan Chancellor and private secretary to Archbishop Ambrose Rayappan, as editor of the archdiocesan weekly "Sarva viyabhi" (சர்வ வியாபி), and was choirmaster at the
Cathedral in Pondicherry, Director of the Catholic Doctors' Guild, Director of the Catholic Nurses' Guild, Director of the Newman Association, and Director of the Catholic University Students Union.
Bishop
Pope John XXIII appointed Fr. Lourdusamy
Auxiliary Bishop of
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
and
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of ''Sozusa in Libya'' on 2 July 1962, at the age of 38. He was
consecrated as a bishop on the following 22 August by Archbishop Ambrose Rayappan, with Bishops Rajarethinam Sundaram (bishop of Tanjore) and Daniel Arulswamy (bishop of Kumbakonam) serving as
co-consecrators
A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop.
The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...
; Bishop (later Cardinal and Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church)
Antony Padiyara
Mar Antony Padiyara (11 February 1921 – 23 March 2000) was a Syro Malabar Major Archbishop and cardinal. He was the First Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. He was Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly from 1985 to 1996, ...
of Ooty was also present at the consecration.
Bishop Lourdusamy attended the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
(Sessions 2, 3 and 4 as a "Council Father"). On 9 November 1964, he was promoted to titular archbishop of Filippi and appointed the
Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence.
These include:
* Coadj ...
of Bangalore. He attended, the First Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, 29 September to 29 October 1967. He was appointed to represent the Indian bishops at the Pan Asiatic Catechetic-Liturgical Conference in Manila in 1967 and was elected the vice-president of the conference and president of its liturgical section. He succeeded Thomas Pothacamury as archbishop on 11 January 1968.
As Archbishop of Bangalore, he served as Chairman of the National Liturgical commission of India, founded the National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre in Bangalore, and also played a significant role in the establishment of St.John's Medical College (the first Catholic Medical College in India), also in Bangalore. Prior to the International Eucharistic Congress in Bogota in 1968, he was invited as a panel member of the International Catechetical study week in Medellin, Colombia.
Pope Paul VI appointed him as Secretary adjunct of the S.C. for the Evangelization of Peoples, 2 March 1971. He resigned as Archbishop of Bangalore on 30 April 1971 and left India to serve in the Curial
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship.
Congregation may also refer to:
* Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship
*Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...
in March 1971, Secretary of the S.C. for the Evangelization of Peoples, president of the Pontifical Missionary Work and Vice-Grand chancellor of the Pontifical Urbanian University, 26 February 1973, the university at which he was a student from 1953 to 1956. He is the first Asian to become a member of the Roman Curia.
Cardinal
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
created Lourdusamy Cardinal-Deacon of ''
Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri
Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri is a Baroque architecture, Baroque style, Roman Catholic parish and titular church located at Piazza di Santa Maria alle Fornaci, south of Vatican City and north of the San Pietro tra ...
'' in the
consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
*Consistory ...
of 25 May 1985; he is the first
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
to be raised to the rank of cardinal. Cardinal Lourdusamy was named Prefect of the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...
on the following 30 October.
Attended the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, 24 November to 8 December 1985, and the Seventh on 1 to 30 October 1987. Special papal envoy to the closing ceremonies of the Year of St. Willibrord, Luxemburg, 3 to 5 June 1990. Attended the Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, 30 September to 28 October 1990.
He became Cardinal Protodeacon (the senior Cardinal-Deacon) on 5 April 1993, and served as a special
papal legate
300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate.
A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...
to the funeral of
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...
on 13 September 1997. On 5 April 1993 was appointed protodeacon. He chose to become a Cardinal-Priest on 29 January 1996 thereby relinquishing protodeacon post.
Cardinal Lourdusamy accompanied John Paul II on his Apostolic travels to Africa, Asia, Oceania, and The Americas. He has also visited 110 countries on all continents in the service of Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II, and received numerous distinctions in appreciation of his work and has been honoured by the Governments of Philippines, Republic of China – Taiwan (The Order of the Brilliant Star, First Class – 13 November 1983), France (Commander of the Légion d'honneur – 29 December 1976), and Germany (Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz mit Stern – 10 October 1977), Liberia (Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of Africa – 3 November 1977), Luxembourg (The "Grand-Croix de l'Ordre Grand-Ducal de la Couronne de Chêne" – 29 June 1988). He was also awarded a doctorate of laws – "Honoris Causa" (5 February 1979) by
Adamson University
Adamson University ( fil, links=no, Pamantasang Adamson) also referred to by its acronym AdU is a private, Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Congregation of the Mission in Manila, Philippines. The univers ...
, Manila, Philippines and a doctorate of letters – "Honoris Causa" (25 May 1989) by
Pondicherry University
Pondicherry University, also known as PU, is a Central university (India), collegiate public central university located in Kalapet, Pondicherry in Union Territory of Puducherry, India. It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1985 by the ...
, India. Cardinal Lourdusamy was fluent in several languages including
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
,
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
,
French,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
,
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
and
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
.
Pope John Paul II appointed Cardinal Lourdusamy a member of the following Departments of the Roman Curia, in addition to Prefect, Congregation for Oriental Churches:
* Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
* Congregation for the Causes of Saints
* Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
* Congregation for Catholic Education
* Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
* Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
* Pontifical Council for the Family
* Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue
* Pontifical Council for Interpretation of Legislative Texts
* Pontifical Commission for International Eucharistic Congresses
* Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of the Oriental Canon Law
* Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law
* Pontifical Commission for Latin America
* Pontifical Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
* The Commission of Cardinals and Bishops set up by the Pope to prepare a Catechism for the Church Universal
* The Commission for the Study of the Theological and Juridical Status of the Bishops' Conferences
* The Permanent Interdicastrial Commission for the Formation of the Candidates to the Sacred Orders
Death
Cardinal Lourdusamy died in Rome on 2 June 2014.
A funeral Mass was celebrated for the Cardinal on Thursday, 5 June 2014, with
Angelo Cardinal Sodano,
Dean of the College of Cardinals
The dean of the College of Cardinals ( la, Decanus Collegii Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalium) presides over the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, serving as '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals). The position was establ ...
, presiding. At the end of the service, Pope Francis led the Rites of Final Commendation and Valediction.
His nephew Vincent and Sr. Vellie Fernandez, Sr. Avis Aguiar who cared for him were with him on his 90th birthday four months earlier, again during his final days in the hospital, and accompanied his mortal remains to Pondicherry, India on 6 June 2014. Cardinal
lay in state at Escande's Hall,
Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School, where thousands paid their final respects round the clock, over two days and nights.. On 9 June 2014, after a mass of repose, celebrated by the
Papal Nuncio
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...
for India and Nepal Monsignor
Salvatore Pennacchio
Salvatore Pennacchio (born 7 September 1952 in Marano, Italy) is a Catholic archbishop and diplomat of the Holy See, currently president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.
Biography
He received his priestly ordination on 18 September ...
, the Cardinals, Bishops and hundreds of priests, his remains were entombed in front of St. Joseph's Altar inside
Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Pondicherry
Immaculate Conception Cathedral (french: Cathédrale de l'Immaculée-Conception de Pondichéry, ta, தூய அமலோற்பவ அன்னை பேராலயம்) is the cathedral mother church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese ...
.
References
External links
Biographyon Cardinal rating
on Catholic Hierarchy
Cardinal Lourdusamy Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lourdusamy, Duraisamy Simon
1924 births
2014 deaths
Pontifical Urban University alumni
Indian cardinals
Roman Catholic archbishops of Bangalore
Participants in the Second Vatican Council
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in India
Protodeacons
People from Pondicherry
Members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II
Loyola College, Chennai alumni
Tamil priests
Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore
Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Indian Roman Catholic archbishops
Indian expatriates in Italy