"Cardinal Dias passed away in Rome tonight," Joseph Dias of the Catholic Secular Forum said.

Dias was the archbishop of Bombay for 10 years from 1996. He was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

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Cardinal Dias was born on April 14, 1936 in Mumbai and was ordained a priest for Bombay archdiocese on December 8, 1958. He held a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome.

He entered the Vatican diplomatic service in 1964 and was posted to the Nordic countries, Indonesia, Madagascar, La Reunion, the Comorros, Mauritius and the Secretariat of State.

In 1982, he was appointed apostolic pro-nuncio in Ghana, Togo and Benin, and received episcopal ordination the same year. He later served as apostolic nuncio in Korea during 1987-1991 and in Albania during 1991-1997.

He was president delegate of the tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2001.