Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Cardinal Ivan Dias - 25th Episcopal Anniversary

Cardinal Ivan Dias marks the 25th anniversary of his ordination as Bishop

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Ivan Dias the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and Grand chancellor of the Pontifical Urban University is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his ordination as a Bishop.

On 8 May 1982 Pope John Paul II appointed him Titular Archbishop of Rusubisir and Pro-Nuncio Apostolic to Ghana, Togo and Benin and on 19 June that same year in St Peter's he was ordained a bishop by Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Pope's secretary of state.

Cardinal Dias will mark the anniversary with a special concelebration of the Eucharist at 6pm in the Chapel of Urban University. Together with the officials and staff of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples the Cardinal will thank God for these 25 years of service as a bishop and pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to pour out His gifts and sustain him in his task of guiding the evangelisation of peoples and Catholic missionary cooperation all over the world.

Ivan Dias was born in Bombay on 14 April 1936. He was ordained a priest in Bombay on the 8th December 1958. He studied at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome (1961-1964). He has a degree in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University (1964).

In the same year 1964 he worked in the Secretariat of State to help prepare Pope Paul VI's visit to Bombay on the occasion of the International Eucharistic Congress.

Between 1965 and 1973 he was secretary at various Nunciatures in Europe, Asia, Africa. Between 1973 and 1982 he was Department Head in the Secretariat of State. On 8 May 1982 he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Rusubisir and Pro-Nuncio Apostolic to Ghana, Togo and Benin (1982- 1987) and ordained a bishop on 19 June that same year. Between 1987 and 1991 he was pro-Nuncio Apostolic to South Korea. Between 1991 and 1997 Apostolic Nuncio to Albania. On the 8 November 1996 he was appointed Archbishop of Bombay and installed as such on 13 March 1997. He was President Delegate at the 10th ordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2001.

Pope John Paul II created him a Cardinal on 21 February 2001 of the titular of the church of Spirito Santo alla Ferratella. On 20 May 2006 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. (Fides)

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