Cardinal Anthony Poola is an Indian prelate dedicated to helping children out of poverty and whose elevation to the College of Cardinals has been viewed as a step towards addressing the inequalities of the caste system in India.

Born on November 15, 1961, in Chindukur, Durvesi Parish, in the Diocese of Kurnool, India, Poola is a member of the Dalit social group in India. The word Dalit is derived from Sanskrit and means “broken” or “downtrodden.” It is considered to be the lowest caste in the social hierarchy in India and although the caste system has been officially abolished, they have often been victims of discrimination, human rights, violations and violence.

Poola overcame poverty in his youth with the help of missionaries who supported his education. “The took charge of me and helped me go to school and made me a worthwhile,” he said. “That is the reason why I want to join the seminary.” After attending St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary in Bangalore, he was ordained a priest on February 20, 1992, for the Diocese of Cuddapah.

Throughout his career, Cardinal Poola has held various positions within the Church. He served as a parish vicar, pastor, and director of the Christian Foundation for Children and the Aging.

His educational pursuits led him to study health pastoral care and theology at Loyola University Chicago in the 2000s, and while there he worked at St. Genevieve Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago. He also took a course in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) at Bronson Methodist Hospital, Department of Pastoral Care and Education in Kalamazoo, U.S.A.

A significant milestone in his career came on February 8, 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Kurnool, during which time he erected 11 new parishes. Pope Francis later appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad, where he was installed on January 3, 2021.

He was elevated to cardinal the following year, making him the first Dalit and the first Telugu — an ethno-linguistic group of people native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — to attain the rank of cardinal. The appointment has been seen as a significant step towards recognizing and including marginalized communities within the Church hierarchy.

As cardinal, Poola has expressed his mission to help as many poor children as possible, drawing from his own life experiences. He has been particularly active in supporting education for underprivileged children, often personally assisting in their placement in boarding schools. His stated vision is that “no child should be deprived of education because of poverty,” and he has been involved in giving scholarships to children of poor families.

In addition to his pastoral duties, Cardinal Poola has shown a creative side, producing Telugu devotional audio cassettes, writes lyrics in Telugu, composes songs, and conducts choirs.

Cardinal Poola’s focus has been social justice issues and there is little record of him commenting on other aspects of Catholic moral teaching or the sacraments. Rather, his appointment as the first Dalit cardinal has brought attention to the ongoing issues of caste discrimination in India. Despite the official abolition of the caste system, Poola has acknowledged that remnants of it still exist, and his elevation is seen as a step towards addressing these social inequalities.

Cardinal Poola’s journey from a poor Dalit boy to a cardinal in the Catholic Church is seen as inspirational and symbolic of the Church’s efforts to embrace diversity and serve marginalized communities. His appointment has been celebrated by Dalit groups and seen as an honor for the deprived sections of society, particularly significant given that over sixty percent of Catholic Church followers in India are Dalit.

The cardinal is known for his linguistic abilities, speaking Telugu, English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Italian. His fluency in Telugu is particularly significant, as it is a language spoken by more than 75 million people in India.