Valerian Gracias | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop of Bombay | |
 Cardinal Valerian Gracias greeted by members of theIndian Maltese community at the La Valette Band Club in Malta in 1958 | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Bombay |
| Province | Bombay |
| Metropolis | Bombay |
| See | Bombay |
| Installed | 4 December 1950 |
| Term ended | 11 September 1978 |
| Predecessor | Archbishop Thomas Roberts, S.J. |
| Successor | Simon Pimenta |
| Other posts | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Via Lata(1953-1978) Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay(1946-1950). |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 3 October 1926 |
| Consecration | 29 June 1946 by Archbishop Thomas Roberts, S.J. |
| Created cardinal | 12 January 1953 byPope Pius XII |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Valerian Gracias (1900-10-23)23 October 1900 |
| Died | 11 September 1978(1978-09-11) (aged 77) |
| Buried | Cathedral of the Holy Name, Mumbai 18°55′24″N72°49′50″E / 18.92333°N 72.83056°E /18.92333; 72.83056 |
| Nationality |  Indian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Residence | Mumbai,India |
| Parents | José Gracias (Father) Carlota Gracias (Mother) |
| Alma mater | St. Patrick's High School St. Joseph's Seminary (Mangalore) |
| Motto | Fraternitatis Amore[1](Latin) In the love of brotherhood(English) |
Ordination history of Valerian Gracias | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Valerian Gracias (23 October 1900 – 11 September 1978) was anIndian Catholic prelate who served asArchbishop of Bombay from 1950 until his death. He was made acardinal in 1953 byPope Pius XII.
Valerian Gracias was born inKarachi,British India (in modernPakistan), to José (d. 1902) and Carlota Gracias. His parents were from Dramapur/Navelim,Goa, working in Karachi.[2] He studied atSt. Patrick's High School in Karachi, St. JosephSeminary inMangalore, and the Pontifical Seminary ofKandy inCeylon,[2] where he obtained hisdoctorate in theology.Ordained to thepriesthood on 3 October 1926,[3] Gracias then didpastoral work inBandra until November 1927, when he entered thePontifical Gregorian University inRome. He finished his studies at the Gregorian in 1929 and becameprivate secretary to Archbishop Joachim LimaSJ anddiocesan chancellor ofBombay.[2] He served as a preacher and pastor, and as the editor of various newspapers before being named the first Indianrector of Mumbai'sHoly Name Cathedral in December 1941.
On 16 May 1946, he was appointedAuxiliary Bishop of Bombay andTitular bishop of Thennesus. Gracias received hisepiscopal consecration on the following 29 June fromArchbishop Thomas Roberts SJ, with Bishops Victor Fernandes and Thomas Pothacamury asco-consecrators.Pope Pius XII promoted him toArchbishop of Bombay on 4 December 1950 to replace Roberts, a 57-year-old Englishman, who made way for the appointment of a native-born Indian.[4] Gracias demonstrated his support of Goan nationalism and an opponent of Portuguese colonial rule by presented an image of the Virgin Mary as an indigenous Indian, at a time when the populace was still accustomed to European representations.[5]
On 29 November 1952 Pope Pius XII announced he would create 24 new cardinals, increasing the size of the College of Cardinals to 70 members, its maximum at the time.[6] When one of those Pius named died on 28 December,[7] the Vatican announced on 29 December that Gracias would be made a cardinal, the first from India.[8] He was madeCardinal-Priest ofS. Maria in Via Lata in theconsistory of 12 January 1953.[9] Gracias was considered to be aconservative.[10] The Portuguese government denied reports that it was displeased with the honor bestowed upon Gracias.[11]
He was one of the 51 cardinal electors in the1958 papal conclave and one of the 80 in theconclave of 1963. He attended theSecond Vatican Council (1962–1965), where he was one of 21 Council participants to present the closing messages of the Council on 8 December 1965.[12] He hosted the first papal visit to India in 1964, when Pope Paul VI attended theInternational Eucharistic Congress in Bombay,[2] preceded by a symposium of Catholic theologians to which he invited Hans Küng.[13] He later said that Pope Paul VI's Bombay visit inspired his encyclicalPopulorum progressio (1967).[3] In 1970 he was one of 15 prelates chosen to organize the1971 Synod of Bishops, and he supported Pope Paul against critics of his approach to church governance and insistence of priestly celibacy.[14] From 1954 to 1972, he was President of theCatholic Bishops' Conference of India and in 1972 helped overcome Vatican skepticism and win Pope Paul's approval of the formation of theFederation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.[15]
He fell ill in May 1978[16] and did not participate in theconclave ofAugust 1978. Gracias died fromcancer inBombay 11 September 1978 at age 77.[16] He was buried in Holy Name Cathedral in Mumbai.[citation needed]
He was awarded thePadma Vibhushan award, second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, on 26 January 1966.[17]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Bombay 1950–1978 | Succeeded by |
