Cardinal Joseph Coutts at his home in Ucassaim-Goa in January 2025. File photo
PANAJI
In a significant move, the Town Municipal Corporation Saddar, Karachi, will rename the McNeil Road in Frere Town, a prominent seaside municipality in Karachi, after Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, one of Pakistan’s most distinguished Catholic religious leader, who hails from Goa.
In a recent Facebook post, Rev. Fr Arthur Charles, Parish Priest of St Anthony’s Church, which is located along McNeil Road, said there had been some initial confusion by the Municipal Corporation over the proposed renaming of the road.
A notice published in a newspaper on October 2, 2026, had referred to a proposal to rename McNeil Road as Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro Road. A subsequent corrigendum by the Town Municipal Corporation at Saddar published on October 15 stated that “The proposed name of the road may be read as ‘Cardinal Joseph Coutts Road’ instead of ‘Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro Road’.”
Cardinal Coutts (81) traces his roots to Aldona-Goa but has his family home at Ucassaim.
“We have maintained our Goan roots and are proud of our Goan identity,” recalled Cardinal Coutts while interacting with The Goan at his home in Ucassaim during his last visit to Goa in January 2025.
Cardinal Coutts’ father, Pedro Jose Couto, hailed from Aldona but grew up in Lahore and worked at the Karachi office of the multinational British company, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI).
Pedro was transferred from Karachi to the Amritsar office of the ICI, where Cardinal Coutts was born on July 21, 1945. The family moved back to Lahore when Cardinal Coutts was about 2 years old. His elder brother Trason was born in Karachi, while their younger sister, Maria, was born in Goa.
Cardinal Coutts was ordained priest in Lahore on January 9, 1971, and was later appointed vicar general of the Lahore diocese.
Pope John Paul II appointed him as coadjutor bishop of Hyderabad in the Sindh Province of Pakistan on May 5, 1988, and he was consecrated on September 16, 1988. He became bishop of Hyderabad on September 1, 1990. He was later transferred to the diocese of Faisalabad on June 27, 1998.
Pope Benedict elevated Cardinal Coutts as archbishop to the Metropolitan See of Karachi on January 25, 2012, and he served as Metropolitan Archbishop until his retirement on February 11, 2021.
Besides, Cardinal Coutts served as president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference from 2011 until 2017 and was also chairman of Caritas Pakistan.
He was created cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of June 28, 2018, and he also served as a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in the Vatican.
ACCLAIM, RECOGNITION
Cardinal Coutts has been acclaimed for his mission to promote dialogue among communities and to work towards social welfare and minority rights in Pakistan.
According to LICAS. news, his initiatives have focused on improving healthcare, education, and community well-being across Pakistan.
In 2007, Cardinal Coutts was awarded the Shalom Prize by the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany, for his commitment to promote interfaith dialogue in Pakistan.
On March 23, 2025, the President of Pakistan conferred the prestigious ‘Tamgha-i-Imtiaz’ national award in recognition of his exceptional contributions, social welfare, and efforts to foster peace among various religions.
Incidentally, Cardinal Coutts is currently among the six cardinals of Goan origin: Cardinal Valerian Gracias (Dramapur), Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro (Salvador do Mundo), Cardinal Ivan Dias (Velsao) and Cardinal Oswald Gracias (Orlim), Cardinal Joseph Coutts (Aldona) and Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao (Aldona). Cardinal Coutts is also the first cousin of Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto (Aldona).
THE ROAD’S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE
According to Peter Mendes, President of Goinkars’ Own Academy (GOA) in Karachi-Pakistan, the road was already known as McNeil Road during the British colonial period.
“The Karachi Residential and Mercantile Directory of 1938 records the road as extending from the Clifton Overbridge eastward to the Race Course. The history of McNeil Road is closely connected with the development of St Anthony’s Parish,” said Mendes.
“According to the parish's official historical account, the idea of establishing the parish arose in 1937. A plot containing a large bungalow was acquired along the McNeil Road, and one of its rooms was converted into a chapel. On February 13, 1937, a relic of St Anthony was brought in procession.”
“The foundation stone of the present church was laid on June 25, 1939. Construction was delayed due to the Second World War, and the church was eventually dedicated to St Anthony of Padua in the early 1950s.”
Over the decades, Mendes said the Church and its surrounding community have become an important part of Karachi’s Christian heritage.
“The road has also been associated with the wider civic life of the city, rather than serving solely as an address for the church. Any change to the road’s name should ideally preserve a record of its historical identity, including its longstanding association with St Anthony’s Church and Frere Town,” Mendes added.
Karachi Goans hail renaming of road after Cardinal Joseph Coutts
The Goan and Catholic community in Pakistan have hailed the decision of the Town Municipal Corporation at Saddar-Karachi to rename the McNeil road in Karachi after Cardinal Joseph Coutts.
“The proposed renaming of McNeil Road in Karachi is more than a change of a street name. It offers an opportunity to recognise the contribution of Cardinal Joseph Coutts to the Catholic Church, interfaith harmony and the wider community of Pakistan, while also preserving the history of a road closely associated with St Anthony’s Church and the Christian community of Frere Town,” said Peter Mendes, President of Goinkars Own Academy (GOA) in Karachi.
“Cardinal Coutts is widely recognised for his pastoral leadership, efforts to promote interreligious dialogue and advocacy for peace, tolerance and the dignity of all people.”
“Cardinal Coutts held a particularly important place in the religious and civic life of Karachi. Naming a Road in his honour would recognise not only his service to the Catholic community but also his contribution to a more inclusive and harmonious Pakistan.”
Mendes said renaming the McNeil Road as Cardinal Joseph Coutts Road would provide an opportunity to honour a religious leader whose influence extended beyond the boundaries of his own Church.
“Cardinal Coutts’s legacy of pastoral service, dialogue and harmony makes him a meaningful figure to commemorate in the public landscape of Pakistan. Such a change would also connect Karachi’s historical streetscape with a prominent figure in Pakistan’s modern religious and social history,” said Mendes.
“At the same time, recording the former name would help future generations understand the history of the area and the institutions that developed there. The proposed renaming should, therefore, be viewed as an opportunity to recognise Cardinal Coutts while retaining the historical record of McNeil Road.”
