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DIAS Card. Ivan


DIAS Card. Ivan

Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Archbishop emeritus of Bombay, India, was born on 14 April 1936 in Mumbai, India. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Bombay on 8 December 1958 and holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome.

He entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1964 and was posted to the Nordic countries, Indonesia, Madagascar, La Réunion, the Comorros, Mauritius and the Secretariat of State. On 8 May 1982 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Rusubisir and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Ghana, Togo and Benin, and received episcopal ordination on 19 June. He later served as Apostolic Nuncio in Korea (1987-91) and Albania (1991-97).

On 8 November 1996 he was appointed Archbishop of Bombay.

President Delegate of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 2001).

He was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbanian University from On 20 May 2006 until 10 May 2011.

He participated in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by St. John Paul II in the consistory of 21 February 2001, of the Title of Spirito Santo alla Ferratella (Holy Spirit at Ferratella).

Cardinal Ivan Dias died in Rome on June 19th 2017.