MUMBAI, India – India’s most prominent cardinal is standing down as Archbishop of Bombay, have reached the ago of 80 last December.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias has been one of Pope Francis’s closest advisors, having been a member of the Council of Cardinals since it began in 2013.

Oswald has been succeeded by Archbishop John Rodrigues, until now coadjutor archbishop of Bombay.

“Cardinal Oswald Gracias was a giant of a man, and now as his successor I have mighty big shoes to fill,” Rodrigues said.

In a video message, Gracias expressed heartfelt gratitude to all his collaborators in the archdiocese, including bishops, priests, religious, the laity, and the citizens of Mumbai.

The cardinal said he submitted his resignation five years ago, and recently reminded Francis of this fact.

“As I lay down the office of archbishop, I express my very sincere thanks to all of my collaborators in the archdiocese,” Gracias said.

“My special thanks to the presbyterium of the archdiocese who worked so dedicatedly and always made up for my deficiencies. I thank the Holy Father for his continuous fraternal care for the archdiocese of Bombay. I give thanks to God for his special protection, which I always experience has leader of His Church,” the cardinal said.

Gracias has played a significant role in the Church in his country and all over Asia. He has served as the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences and the Indian Church as the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, which serves Latin rite in India.

We thank Cardinal Oswald Gracias for his visionary leadership and unwavering service to the Catholic Church in India. We are praying for his health and blessings as he steps down,” said Melwyn Fernandes, the Secretary of Association of Concerned Christians.

“Best wishes to Bishop John Rodrigues as he takes on this role. May he lead with wisdom and resolve pressing issues,” he told Crux.

Gracias was born in Bombay – now known as Mumbai – in 1944 and studied for the priesthood in the city.

Gracias spoke with Crux in 2023 about the importance of the Church in India after news of his appointment was made public.

“The Church in India is very vibrant. It is a small population which nears about 2.3 percent of the population in India but it is vibrant. We have 174 dioceses all over coming from three Churches – the Latin Church, the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara,” the cardinal said.

Despite its small size the Church is overrepresented in the educational, health, and charitable sectors in India. The Catholic Church runs over 14,000 educational establishments and 1800 health care facilities.

“The vibrancy of the Church is seen not only in the attendance at Sunday Mass but also in the involvement and participation of the faithful in different activities of the Church’s mission. Our main activity in the Churches is not only pastoral work but also education. We have schools which serve the people without discrimination of faith and caste and works for nation building through empowerment of all peoples through education,” Gracias said.

“Besides education, our focus is on the rural areas of the Church in India and the girl child. We are very concerned that girls may not get sufficient education. Then in social work and self-help groups, which empower women through skills and makes them financial independent,” Gracias explained.

“Our religious personnel engage themselves in multifaceted apostolates, and many lay faithful are collaborators – with the preferential option aiming at giving fuller life to the oppressed and the poor having in mind the interventional needs of the society and the mission needs of the Catholic Church in India,” he said.

Rodrigues will be formally welcomed to the archdiocese as archbishop at a Mass on February 11.