Ferrão: from the city of St Francis Xavier to synodal leader of the FABC
The archbishop of Goa, 72, has chaired the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences since the start of the year. He has been very attentive to the life of families whom he constantly encouraged in his ministry. As head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India-Latin Rite, he promoted a broad consultation in the dioceses, which led to a document with 16 priorities, including Dalits and digital technologies.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, 72, has been the archbishop of Goa and Daman since 2004 and as such also holds the honorary titles of Primate of the East and Patriarch of the East Indies. He brings to the conclave the experience of the Church that upholds the memory of Saint Francis Xavier, the great evangeliser of Asia. He is also a pastor well respected beyond the borders of India, so that the presidents of the other bishops' conferences of Asia chose him last year as the new leader of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).
Originally from Aldona, a village in North Goa, he was ordained bishop in 1994 serving the archdiocese as auxiliary bishop for ten years.
He is the face of the Church in a state in southern India with deep Christian roots. The remains of Saint Francis Xavier were moved in 1553 to the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the main see of his missionary apostolate a year after his death on the Chinese island of Shangchuan.
A few months ago, Card Ferrão led the solemn exhibition of the saint's remains in Goa, which is done every ten years, attracting millions of pilgrims.
"A visit to Old Goa is enough to be convinced of the timeliness of his message,” the archbishop said speaking about the saint’s deep legacy. “The presence of his relics is a unifying force, which builds peace and harmony between peoples of different cultures and religions."
“That they may all be one” (Jn 17:21) is Cardinal Ferrão’s episcopal motto. He entered the minor seminary of Saligao when he was still very young in 1963. After he moved to the major seminary in Rachol, his path was abruptly interrupted after four months by a serious brain fever, which was so serious that the doctors feared that he would be scarred for life, which did not happen.
After he pursued his studies at the seminary in Pune, he was ordained a priest in 1979 and continued his education, first in biblical theology at the Urbaniana University, and then earning another licentiate in catechetics and pastoral theology at the Lumen Vitae International Institute in Brussels, Belgium.
During the years of his ministry in Goa, he always showed a keen interest in pastoral outreach to families as head of the Diocesan Family Service Centre. When he visits parishes, he loves to speak to families and offer them spiritual support and instil confidence in them.
He visits families especially to comfort those members who are old and sick and fortify them with hope. He is a special friend to youth and children, challenging them to emerge as good citizens of the country and as worthy members of the Church.
Ferrão was the first archbishop of Goa to be elevated to the cardinalate in the 465-year history of the local Church when Pope Francis appointed him in 2022. Other prelates who served in Goa at some point also received the scarlet biretta but held episcopal office elsewhere in India.
On 22 February 2024, he was elected FABC president, at the meeting of the organisation’s central committee in Bangkok, replacing Card Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon.
Archbishop Ferrão took office on 1 January 2025. And backed by his new office, he immediately took an important step, establishing a commission chaired by FABC Vice President Card Pablo Virgilio David to boost synodality in the continent’s Churches.
Card Ferrão is also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CCBI), the collegial body that brings together the bishops of Latin rite in the great South Asian country.
In this domain too, he has insisted a lot on the theme of synodality, promoting a major consultation in the dioceses that ended at the CCBI Plenary Assembly held a few weeks ago in Bhubaneswar (Odisha).
On 23 April, in communion with the world that gave thanks for the fruits of Pope Francis's pontificate, Ferrão presented the document "Pilgrims of Hope: Discerning the Synodal Path", which lays the grounds for the Indian Church-Latin rite to follow as it continues its journey.
The document highlights sixteen major themes for reflection and pastoral action; they include, among others, youth, lay people, basic ecclesial communities, domestic migrants, Dalits, women, creation, digital technologies, and peace-building.
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