- 27 October, 2026
PANAJI, October 27, 2026: A road in Karachi, Pakistan, is set to be renamed Cardinal Joseph Coutts Road in honour of Cardinal Joseph Coutts, the Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi, whose family roots lie in Goa. The decision by the Town Municipal Corporation in Saddar will recognise one of Pakistan’s most prominent Catholic leaders and his longstanding contribution to interfaith dialogue, social welfare and peaceful coexistence.
The proposed renaming recognises the retired archbishop’s contribution to interfaith harmony, social welfare and Pakistan’s Christian community.
The road, currently known as McNeil Road, is located in Frere Town, a seaside area of Karachi with a longstanding Christian heritage. An initial municipal notice published on 2 October 2026 proposed the name Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro Road. However, a corrigendum issued on 15 October clarified that the proposed name should read Cardinal Joseph Coutts Road.
Fr. Arthur Charles, parish priest of St. Anthony’s Church on McNeil Road, confirmed the correction in a Facebook post.
Cardinal Coutts, 81, traces his family origins to Aldona, Goa, and has a family home in Ucassaim. During a visit to Goa in January 2025, he spoke proudly of his ancestry, saying that his family had maintained its Goan roots and identity.
His father, Pedro Jose Couto, hailed from Aldona but grew up in Lahore and worked for the British multinational Imperial Chemical Industries. After being transferred from Karachi to Amritsar, Pedro became the father of Joseph Coutts, who was born on 21 July 1945. The family later returned to Lahore.
Ordained a priest in Lahore on 9 January 1971, Coutts subsequently served as vicar general of the Lahore diocese. He was appointed coadjutor bishop of Hyderabad in Pakistan’s Sindh province in 1988 and became its bishop in 1990. In 1998, he was transferred to Faisalabad.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Karachi in January 2012. He led the archdiocese until his retirement in February 2021. Coutts also served as president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference from 2011 to 2017 and chaired Caritas Pakistan.
Pope Francis created him a cardinal on 28 June 2018. His work has consistently emphasised dialogue between religious communities, minority rights and the dignity of vulnerable people.
Cardinal Coutts received the Shalom Prize from Germany’s Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in 2007 for promoting interfaith dialogue. On 23 March 2025, Pakistan’s President conferred the national honour Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in recognition of his contributions to social welfare and interreligious harmony.
His proposed recognition through a public road name has been welcomed by members of Karachi’s Goan and Catholic communities.
Peter Mendes, president of Goinkars’ Own Academy in Karachi, said the renaming would honour a religious leader whose influence extended beyond the Catholic Church. He described it as an opportunity to recognise Coutts’s pastoral leadership and commitment to peace and tolerance.
Mendes also stressed the importance of preserving McNeil Road’s historical identity. Records from 1938 document the road’s existence during British colonial rule.
Its history is closely linked to St. Anthony’s Parish. The parish’s origins date to 1937, when a bungalow was acquired and one room converted into a chapel. The foundation stone of the present church was laid on 25 June 1939, although construction was delayed by the Second World War. The church was dedicated in the early 1950s.
Mendes said recording the former name alongside the proposed new one would help preserve the area’s civic and Christian heritage.
The proposed renaming thus offers Karachi an opportunity to honour Cardinal Coutts while retaining the historical memory of McNeil Road and the Christian community that helped shape its identity.
Courtesy : The Goan
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