Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão is the Archbishop of Goa and Daman and seventh Patriarch of the East Indies who has focused on family ministry, interreligious dialogue and social justice, particularly migrants and climate change.

Born on 20 January 1953 in Mapusa, Goa, India, he is the youngest of three children and completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Papal Seminary in Pune.

He furthered his education in Rome, obtaining a licentiate in theology with a specialization in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University. Additionally, he earned a licentiate in Catechetics and Pastoral Theology from the Lumen Vitae International Institute in Brussels, Belgium.

Ferrão was ordained as a priest on October 28, 1979 for the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.

During the course of his priestly ministry, he has held various offices including parish vicar; seminary prefect and lecturer at Our Lady Minor Seminary in Saligao-Pilerne; diocesan director of a center for laity; ecclesiastical consultor; and episcopal vicar.

On April 10, 1994, Ferrão was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Goa and Daman, before being installed as the 34th Archbishop of Goa and Daman and the seventh Patriarch of the East Indies in March 2004.

Cardinal Ferrão has held several significant positions within the Catholic Church in India. He has served as a member of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI)¹ The CBCI represents all three rites of the Catholic Church in India: Latin, Syro-Malabar, and Syro-Malankara, and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI)²The CCBI represents the Latin rite bishops of India. In both organizations, he has chaired the Laity Commission. He was also the ex-chairman of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission of the Western Region Bishop’s Council and vice-chairman of the Western Region Social Service Forum.

Pope Francis elevated Ferrão to cardinal on August 27, 2022, making him the first Archbishop of Goa and Daman to be made a cardinal since the establishment of the episcopal see in 1557.

In 2023, Cardinal Ferrão was elected as the new president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), and is set to take office in January 2025. This position places him in a crucial role for guiding the Catholic Church’s efforts in Asia, particularly in relation to the ongoing synodal process initiated by Pope Francis.

The Indian cardinal took part in the 2024 Synod on Synodality and was personally chosen by Pope Francis to be a member of the commission that drafted the synod’s final report.

A personable and friendly prelate, Cardinal Ferrão is known for his pastoral approach, particularly his focus on family ministry. He regularly visits parishes in his archdiocese, addressing families and offering spiritual support. He has a special interest in youth and children, encouraging them to become good citizens and members of the Church.

The cardinal has expressed strong views on environmental issues and climate change, in line with the stance emphasized by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’.

Like many Indian bishops, he has also demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting interreligious dialogue which he sees in his Hindu-majority nation as essential for fostering understanding and respect among diverse religious communities.

However, the cardinal’s liberal interreligious stances provoked controversy in 2021 when he encouraged his clergy to visit idols of Ganesha, a prominent elephant-headed deity within Hinduism, during Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival that celebrates the deity’s birth. A petition was drawn up criticizing the cardinal for “witnessing to radical religious relativism which puts the living Jesus on a par with a clay Ganesh.”

The cardinal responded by saying the criticism went against the “authentic spirit” of interreligious dialogue and reciprocal respect. “It is distressing to note that certain expressions used recently in public by some members of the Catholic Church may have hurt the religious sentiments of other religious traditions,” he said.

Cardinal Ferrão has firmly supported Pope Francis’ focus on migrants, emphasizing “there can be no tomorrow without migrants and refugees.” He believes migrants play a crucial role in shaping the future of society and should be valued for their contributions. His views extend beyond mere tolerance to active support for migrants. He has been involved in launching initiatives to assist migrants, such as a new digital portal aimed at supporting migrants.

In 2018, the cardinal clashed with supporters of the ruling BJP party when he issued a pastoral letter calling for more social responsibility towards the poor, their families, community and society. He was especially critical of extreme poverty, the trampling of human rights and a danger of the Constitution.

In 2016, the cardinal came under fire for his involvement in the sale of Church land at a low price to developers in 2006 which prompted accusations against him of violating canon and civil law. The archdiocese dismissed the claims, calling them “mischievous and malicious” and insisting the price was higher than others it had received and corresponded to valuations.

Cardinal Ferrão speaks Konkani, the language of more than 2 million people on the west coast of the Indian peninsula, as well as English, Portuguese and possibly other languages.