Samson Shukardin is the bishop of the Diocese of Hyderabad,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

.Catholic Hierarchy accessed 2 February 2015
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Early life and education

Shukardin was born on 29 January 1961, in Hyderabad. After schooling at

St Bonaventure's High School St Bonaventure's High School (formerly St Bonaventure's Boys' High School) is a private Catholic primary and secondary school, located on Foujdari Road in Saddar, Hyderabad in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The school has another branch in the ...

in Hyderabad and at Government Boys College, he entered the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

. He was at the Order for a number of years. In 1992, Shukardin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

Sindh University The University of Sindh ( ur, ; sd, سنڌ يونيورسٽي; informally known as Sindh University) is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certifi ...

Jamshoro Jamshoro ( sd, ڄام شورو, ur, ) is a city and the capital of Jamshoro District, located in Sindh, Pakistan. It is located on the right bank of the Indus River, approximately northwest of Hyderabad and northeast from the provincial capi ...

, and later earned a degree in Theology at the

National Catholic Institute of Theology The National Catholic Institute of Theology (NCIT) is a Catholic theological institute established in Karachi, Pakistan in September 1997. It offers academic courses leading to a diploma in theology, as well as programs for laypeople and religio ...

in Karachi. In 1998, he completed a degree in Civil Law studies at the

Sindh Muslim Law College The Sindh Muslim Government Law College (Urdu: سنده مسلم گورنمنٹس لا کالج) or S. M. Law College (Urdu: ایس ایم لاء کالج) is one of the oldest law schools of Pakistan, situated in Karachi, Sindh. The college has ...

.Agenzia Fides 16/12/2014
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Career

Shukardin was ordained a priest on 10 December 1993. Since then he has served from 1993 to 1996 as assistant priest in Gujrat, Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi; from 1996 to 2004 as

Procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * ''Procurator'' (Ancient Rome), the title of ...

of the Franciscan Province; from 2004 to 2008 as Guardian of the Franciscan Order and President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Pakistan; since 2008 as pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Hyderabad, and Diocesan Director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace. Since 2010, he has been the Vicar General of the Diocese of Hyderabad. In 2020, Shukardin became chairperson of the National Commission for Justice and Peace.

Appointment

On 16 December 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

accepted the resignation of Bishop

Max John Rodrigues Max John Rodrigues was born in Karachi, Pakistan (then British India), on 29 May 1938. He entered the seminary in 1957 and spent seven years of his priestly formation at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. Career He was ordained a prie ...

in accordance with canon 401 § 1 of the Code of

Canon Law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. The Pope then appointed Shukardin as the new bishop of the diocese. Shukardin was consecrated bishop on 31 January 2015. The principal consecrator was Max John Rodrigues, Bishop Emeritus of Hyderabad, while the co-consecrators were Archbishop

Joseph Coutts Joseph Coutts (born 21 July 1945) is a Pakistani prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Karachi from 2012 to 2021. He served as Bishop of Faisalabad from 1998 to 2012. Pope Francis created Coutts a cardinal on 28 June ...

of Karachi and Archbishop

Sebastian Francis Shaw Sebastian Francis Shaw (born 14 November 1957) is a Pakistani Roman Catholic archbishop. He was born in Padri Jo Goth, Sindh, Pakistan on 14 November 1957. He received his early education at Fatima High School and attended the Government De ...

of Lahore. The Diocese of Hyderabad covers 137,000 square kilometers, with a population of 22,300,000 of which almost 50,000 are Catholic. It is served by 15 parishes, 30 priests, and 89 nuns.

Recent events

Speaking against discrimination against religious minorities, Shukardin told reporters on 10 December 2015, that Pakistan's human rights record was so poor that it was voted off the U.N. Human Rights Council. On 1 December 2015, along with many other former students, Shukardin gathered at the

Karachi Gymkhana The Karachi Gymkhana (KG) ( sd, ڪراچي جمخانه, Urdu: کراچی جِمخانہ) is a premier gymkhana (sports club) in the city of Karachi. It is located on Club Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Formerly, it was a first class cricket ...

to celebrate the 94th birthday of his former school teacher

John Baptist Todd John Baptist Todd, O.F.M. (30 November 1921 – 4 December 2017) was a Franciscan priest working in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan. He was educated at St Patrick’s High School and the University of Bombay. He received hi ...

. In August 2020, Bishop Shukardin ordained to the priesthood Fr Sunil Ashraf and Father Perkho Sono OFM, in the

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Hyderabad St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Hyderabad, Pakistan is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad, 1040 kilometers south of the Capital Islamabad. Father Francis Kotwani, the first Sindhi to be ordained a Catholic priest, ser ...

.Herald Malaysia September 3, 2020
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shukardin, Samson 1961 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Pakistan Pakistani Friars Minor Roman Catholic bishops of Hyderabad in Pakistan