A few words about
Cardinal Lourdusamy
10 things
Remembering Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy: 10 things you probably did not know about this Cardinal from Tamil Nadu
Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy was an Indian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first Tamil to be raised to the rank of a Cardinal
Lourdusamy was the elder brother of the priest and theologian DS Amalorpavadass. The brothers played a significant role in the implementation of Vatican II Council reforms in India
He was also awarded a doctorate of laws — 'Honoris Causa' (1979) by Adamson University, Philippines and a doctorate of letters - 'Honoris Causa' (1989) by Pondicherry University
He studied at Loyola College, Chennai and was sent to Rome to pursue higher studies in Canon Law at the Pontifical Urbaniana University where he obtained his doctorate
He was the special papal legate to the funeral of Mother Teresa. After hearing his report the Cardinals and Bishops of the CCS unanimously recognised the sainthood of Mother Teresa
He obtained full marks in all his exams in Canon law studies, something which has never occurred in Roman universities
He was fluent in several languages — Tamil, Latin, English, Italian, French, German, Kannada, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Swedish. He played the piano and composed music for devotional songs
Pope Paul VI invited him to Rome to serve the Universal Church from 1971. He is the first Asian to become a member of the Roman Curia
Cardinal Lourdusamy died in Rome on June 2, 2014. Pope Francis led the Rites of Final Commendation and Valediction
