Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, who has been appointed as a cardinal by Pope Francis, said yesterday that he was surprised and humbled to get the news. “Usually such announcements are made known two or three days in advance. But this came as a surprise,” the 73-year-old, who is the highest ranked priest of the Roman Catholic Church in Bangladesh told The Independent. With this, Rozario joins the elite circle of the Catholic hierarchy. The Pope is selected from among the cardinals.
“I think the Honourable Pope has given an opportunity to Bangladesh out of love for the country. He has recognised that we are paving the path for whatever good is there to be known to all and has thus honoured it accordingly,” he said. “The Pope said we have done some good work for which Bangladesh has been given a universal status. This is not my personal achievement. This is just like when the Prime Minister brought laurels and status to us that made us all proud. But I accept it humbly,” the archbishop added. “It is a big achievement for Bangladesh and our church that we would have a voice among the 120 cardinals,” he pointed out. “The world will hear from the cardinals that there is communal harmony among all religious communities in Bangladesh,” he said.
Regarding his tasks in the community of cardinals, Rozario said he would be able to highlight the achievements of Bangladesh and project its culture. The newly appointed cardinal expressed hope that whatever little he has done against militancy and to project the country’s efforts to curb it would bear fruit. He also pointed out terrorism was not a problem of Bangladesh alone but a global one.