H: What qualities or virtues do you believe Pope Leo XIV possesses that will be most essential in his new leadership, considering the challenges the Church faces in this historical moment?
C: Pope Leo XIV is a man of deep faith, rooted in Christ and grounded in prayer. He has a clear theological vision and shows a genuine commitment to implementing the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. He is simple, humble and caring, with an exceptional ability to listen and to reach out, particularly to those on the peripheries. He spent his early years in the United States, exercised his priestly ministry for many years in Peru (Latin America), has travelled, as the Superior General of the Order of St. Augustine, to various countries of the world and, finally, he has served the Universal Church, as the Prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Bishops. Thus, the new Pope has a very rich and wide experience of the ecclesial life in all the continents and is aware of the multi-faceted challenges confronting the Church in different contexts.
H: How do you interpret the working of the Holy Spirit during the conclave, particularly when Cardinals come from diverse pastoral contexts and theological perspectives?
C: It is a fact that Cardinals hail from varied pastoral contexts and have different theological perspectives. However, it is equally true that the Church is not a purely human institution; it is a community of faith, established by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. It may be good to recall that the Apostles did not choose Peter to be their leader; it was Jesus who appointed him to lead the incipient Church. My experience at the conclave has deepened my conviction that it is God who, in His eternal design, chooses and prepares a person to lead the Church at a particular point of history. The role of the Cardinals, therefore, is to be the human instruments of this divine election, that is, to discern, in total docility to the Holy Spirit, whom the Lord has set aside for this challenging mission. It is only such a dimension of faith that explains how swiftly the required consensus emerged during the conclave under the gentle, yet powerful, guidance of the Holy Spirit.
H: What are your personal hopes or expectations for Pope Leo XIV, particularly in terms of his theological vision, pastoral priorities, and leadership style?
C: From the addresses and signals already given by Pope Leo XIV so far, it seems to be quite clear that our new Pontiff will preserve and promote the rich ecclesial legacy of the recent Popes, including our Pope Francis of revered memory, thereby nurturing a Church that fosters communion, promotes participation and is focussed on its evangelising mission at all levels, with special attention to those who live on the peripheries. He will surely exercise a truly synodal leadership, a leadership that listens, discerns and embraces inclusivity, a leadership that is humble, compassionate and witnessing to the values of the Gospel. I have no doubt that Pope Leo XIV will speak with moral authority on several global issues, with which humanity is grappling in our times, such as the dignity of the human person, religious freedom, poverty and injustice, war and peace, dialogue and reconciliation, migration, ecology and the challenges of the Artificial Intelligence (AI).
H: Goa holds a unique place in the history of the Catholic Church in India. What are your hopes for the Church in Goa in this next season of ecclesial life?
C: The Catholic Church in Goa has a strong tradition of faith and a rich history of evangelization. We have been blessed with so many dedicated missionaries, who brought the light of the Gospel and nurtured our faith, among them our beloved St. Francis Xavier. Many sons and daughters of the Church in Goa went as missionaries to all the four corners of the world, sharing the riches of our faith and spending themselves in the service of the people with great love and dedication, including St. Joseph Vaz, the Patron of our Archdiocese. The great challenge before the Church in Goa is to grow in our appreciation of this precious treasure of faith and to strive to become a truly synodal community of missionary disciples at all levels and in the different spheres of our life.
H: What role can Goan Catholics—both clergy and laity—play in shaping the future of the Church not only locally, but also within the broader Indian ecclesial context and even at a global level?
C: In the past, Goan Catholics – both clergy and laity -- reached several parts of the world, where they diligently upheld their faith traditions, remained close to the Church and took active part in the mission of their respective local churches. In recent years, with theever-increasing migration, Goan Catholics have branched out to new shores, where faith traditions seem to be on the decline. The vital challenge before them would be, therefore, to exercise their Christan responsibility of becoming the transforming leaven of the Gospel in their new environment and offering a committed witness to their faith in every sphere of life – social, political, economic and cultural.
H: As someone who has been entrusted with such a significant ecclesiastical role, what message would you like to offer to the Church in Asia, India and Goa?
C: In October 2022, the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) had an 18-day General Conference to mark the Golden Jubilee of its establishment. During this Conference, there was a serious collective discernment on how to revitalize the Church in Asia and envision new pathways of service. The following were some of the pathways, along which the FABC committed itself to journey: (a) from foreign expressions to an inculturated proclamation of the Gospel; (b) from basic ecclesial communities to basic human communities; (c) from dialogue to synodality; (d) from the beaten track to new pastoral priorities. I do believe that we will have to discern and adapt these pathways in the life and the mission of the Church in India and Goa.
H: Your Eminence, Pope Leo XIV had previously visited India before his election to the papacy. Given that context, did you have any prior acquaintance with him, either personally or through his pastoral work, before the conclave?
C: It is true that Fr. Robert Prevost had visited India when he was the Superior General of the Augustinian Order. Since we do not have the presence of the Augustinians, either in our Archdiocese or in our Western Region, I did not have any prior direct acquaintance with him. However, I had the opportunity to observe him closely in the last two Synodal Assemblies in Rome (October 2023 and October 2024), in which both of us had taken part, and Card. Prevost came across to me as a calm and unassuming person, with a great ability to listen, having a clear theological vision and a profound love for the Church. His occasional interventions during the Synod had impressed me as clear indicators of his commitment to the communional and missionary vision of the Church, as embodied in the Second Vatican Council.
H: As President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the newly elected President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), do you foresee extending an invitation to the Holy Father to visit Goa or India more broadly? And are there specific matters concerning the Church in Asia or India that you hope to bring to his attention in your capacity?
C: Obviously, all of us, the Bishops of India would like Pope Leo XIV to visit our country and we will surely extend our invitation to him for this purpose. However, since the Pope is also the Head of the Vatican State, he would also have to be officially invited by our Union Government. Every five years, the Bishops normally have the opportunity to go to Rome, in groups, for their ad limina visit, during which they meet the Pope and the Heads of the various Dicasteries, who are the close collaborators of the Holy Father. During such quinquennial visits, the Bishops are able to interact with the Pope and make him aware of the actual situation of the Church in each country and the challenges it faces in the exercise of its mission in different contexts. As far as the FABC is concerned, we are expected to have our next FABC Plenary Assembly in Malaysia in 2026. In due course of time, we will invite the Pope for our Plenary Assembly.
H: Some of your fellow Cardinals have mentioned in post-conclave interviews that there was a growing sense within the College of Cardinals about the pastoral depth and moral clarity of Pope Leo XIV, even before the final vote. While many around the world may have been surprised by his election, was there, in your view, an emerging sense among the electors of his readiness to take on the Petrine ministry?
C: For me, the entire conclave was a serious process of prayerful discernment and attentive listening to God’s will, revealed to each Cardinal through the inner voice of the Spirit. As the conclave proceeded, a clear consensus began to gradually emerge among the Cardinals in favour of Card. Robert Francis Prevost, who was considered as the most suitable candidate for the Chair of Peter in the present circumstances of the Church. He was seen to be serene, gently smiling and displaying an attitude of genuine surrender to the will of God. When the needed majority was reached, there was a thunderous applause in the Sistine Chapel. As soon as Card. Robert Prevost expressed his acceptance of his choice to be the successor of Peter, there was a great sense of rejoicing and thanksgiving to God for the precious gift of the new Bishop of Rome and the new Shepherd of the Universal Church.