PANJIM: Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, and Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay passed away on Monday in Rome, the Archdiocese of Bombay announced.
Cardinal Dias, who hails from Velsao in Goa, served the Catholic Church in various positions, including the diplomatic services.
Cardinal Dias, was born on April 14, 1936 in Mumbai, and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Bombay on December 8, 1958. He held a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome and entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1964 and was posted to the Nordic countries, Indonesia, Madagascar, La Réunion, the Comorros, Mauritius and the Secretariat of State.
On May 8 1982, he was appointed titular Archbishop of Rusubisir and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Ghana, Togo and Benin, and received episcopal ordination on 19 June. He later served as Apostolic Nuncio in Korea (1987-91) and Albania (1991-97).
On November 8, 1996 he was appointed Archbishop of Bombay and remained in the Archdiocese till 2006. During that period he was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Saint Pope John Paul II in the consistory of February 21, 2001, of the Title of Spirito Santo alla Ferratella (Holy Spirit at Ferratella).
Cardinal Dias was also President Delegate of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 2001). He was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbanian University.
He was well respected in the Vatican and at the conclave of 2005, that elected Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Dias was considered papabile.
The funeral details are awaited.