Bangkok, February 22, 2024: The Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC) has announced the election of Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão as its new President during the central Committee meeting held in Bangkok from February 19 to 22, 2024. Cardinal Ferrão, who currently serves as the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), will succeed Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B., Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, in January 2025. In addition to Cardinal Ferrão’s

1. Fr Prakash Sagili new Bishop of Khammam 2. Fr. Augustine Madathikunnel new Bishop of Khandwa 3. Fr Karnam Dhaman Kumar, M.S.F.S. new Bishop of Nalgonda 4. Fr. Francis Tirkey new Bishop of Purnea 5. Fr Thomas Mathew Kuttimackal new Bishop of Indore 6. Bishop Lancy Pinto new Bishop of Aurangabad 7. Bishop Ambrose Rebello of Aurangabad Retired 8. Bishop Chacko Thottumarickal, S.V.D. of Indore Retired 9. Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu of Visakhapatnam, Retired 10. Bishop Jaya

Bp. Thomas Ignatus Macwan, Bishop of Ahmedabad-Optimized-1galore, 12 June 2015: His Holiness Pope Francis appointed His Excellency Rt. Rev. Thomas Ignatius Macwan, till now Bishop of Ahmedabad, as the new Archbishop of Gandhinagar. Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of His Grace Most Rev. Stanislaus Fernandes, S.J., from the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar, according to Canon Law Can. 401 § 1, Bishop Macwan is also appointed as Apostolic Administrator s

Vatican 23 May 2016: Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed His Grace Most Rev. Stanislaus Fernandes, SJ, Archbishop Emeritus of Gandhinagar, Apostolic Administrator sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Diocese of Baroda, due to the reasons of health of His Excellency Most Rev. Godfrey de Rozario, SJ, Bishop of Baroda. Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes was born on 8 October 1939 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. At the age of 28, he was ordained Priest on 23 March 1968 and he prof

Dindigul 11 April 2016: His Holiness ‎Pope Francis on Monday 11 April 2016 appointed Fr. Thomas Paulsamy as the new bishop of Dindigul, in Tamil Nadu state, making it a suffragan of Madurai Metropolitan Archdiocese. The see of Dindigul has been vacant since the transfer of Bishop Antony Pappusamy as Archbishop of Madurai in 26 July 2014. Fr. Paulsamy was born on 2 August1951 at N. Poolampatty, in Tiruchirapalli Diocese. After his schooling in his native village he studied phi

Bangalore 15 October 2016: Pope Francis has appointed His Grace Most Rev. Dominic Jala, S.D.B., Archbishop of Shillong, as Apostolic Administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of the Diocese of Nongstoin. This ecclesiastical provision was made public in Rome on Saturday 15 October 2016, at noon local time, corresponding to 15:30 hours, Indian Standard Time. The Diocese of Nongstoin was created by Pope Benedict XVI on 28 January 2006. The Apostolic Nuncio to India,

New Delhi 6 August 2016: Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio (64) the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal has been appointed as the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland. From 8th May 2010 onwards he was serving as the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal. He was born on 7th September 1952 in Marano di Napoli (Italy) and was ordained priest on 18th September 1976. He joined the diplomatic mission of the Holy See in 1979. He worked in the diplomatic missions, in Panama, Ethiopia, Australia, T

Vatican 28 July 2016: The Holy Father has appointed Mons. Stephen Chirappanath, of the clergy of the eparchy of Irinjalakuda, as the Apostolic Visitor for the Syro-Malabar faithful living in Europe, elevating him to the episcopate and assigning him the Titular see of Slebte. Msgr. Stephen Chirappanath was born December 26, 1961 at Puthenchira. After his philosophical and theological studies at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, he obtained a doctorate in moral theol

His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of His Lordship Most Rev. Gabriel Kujur, S.J., from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Daltonganj, according to Canon Law 401 § 2, and has appointed His Lordship Rt. Rev. Anand Jojo, Bishop of Hazaribag, as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Diocese of Daltonganj. This ecclesiastical provision was made public in Rome on Thursday, 7th July, 2016, at noon local time, corresponding to 15:30 hours, Indian Standard T

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Guntur in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state. Fr. Bhagyaiah ‎Chinnabathini, a parish priest from the Diocese of Nalgonda, in the neighboring state of Telangana, is the new bishop of Guntur. The 60-year old priest takes over from Bishop Gali Bali, who has retired. Fr. Chinnabathini priest was born on Sept, 19, 1956, at Motakondur-Yadagirigutta Mandal. After attending the minor seminary of

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Guntur in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state. Fr. Bhagyaiah ‎Chinnabathini, a parish priest from the Diocese of Nalgonda, in the neighboring state of Telangana, is the new bishop of Guntur. The 60-year old priest takes over from Bishop Gali Bali, who has retired. Fr. Chinnabathini priest was born on Sept, 19, 1956, at Motakondur-Yadagirigutta Mandal. After attending the minor seminary of

Vatican 23 May 2016: Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed His Grace Most Rev. Stanislaus Fernandes, SJ, Archbishop Emeritus of Gandhinagar, Apostolic Administrator sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Diocese of Baroda, due to the reasons of health of His Excellency Most Rev. Godfrey de Rozario, SJ, Bishop of Baroda. Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes was born on 8 October 1939 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. At the age of 28, he was ordained Priest on 23 March 1968 and he prof

Dindigul 11 April 2016: His Holiness ‎Pope Francis on Monday 11 April 2016 appointed Fr. Thomas Paulsamy as the new bishop of Dindigul, in Tamil Nadu state, making it a suffragan of Madurai Metropolitan Archdiocese. The see of Dindigul has been vacant since the transfer of Bishop Antony Pappusamy as Archbishop of Madurai in 26 July 2014. Fr. Paulsamy was born on 2 August1951 at N. Poolampatty, in Tiruchirapalli Diocese. After his schooling in his native village he studied phi

Bangalore 2 February 2016: His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Fr. Christudas Rajappan, of the Clergy of Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, as Auxiliary Bishop of Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum and Titular Bishop of Avitta Bibba. This ecclesiastical provision was made public in Rome on Tuesday, 2 February 2016, at noon local time, corresponding to 16:30 hours, Indian Standard Time. Rev. Fr. Christudas Rajappan was born on 25 November 1971, at Adimalathura, in the Arch

Cochin 12 January 2016: His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Msgr. Jose Pulickal as the first auxiliary bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Kanjirapally in Kerala. At present, he is Syncellus of the eparchy of Kanjirapally. The Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church assembled at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad from 7th January 2016, elected Rev. Fr. Jose Pulickal as the Auxiliary Bishop. Rev. Dr. Jose Pulickal was born on 3 March 1964, in the parish of Inchiyani, in the Epar

Bangalore 19 December 2015: His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Fr. Joseph Raja Rao Thelagathoti (63), the Bangalore Provincial Superior of the Montfort Missionaries (SMM), is the new bishop of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. This provision was made public in Rome on Saturday19 December 2015, at noon local time, corresponding to 16:30 hours, Indian Standard Time. The seat of the Vijayawada Diocese has been vacant since 2012 after Pope Benedict transferred Bishop ‎Praka

Kochi: 26 August 2015: Rev. Fr. Antony Kariyil, CMI, till now Director of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology, Kochi, as the new Bishop of the Eparchy of Mandya, in Karnataka. This provision was made public in Rome on Wednesday 26 August 2015 at noon local time, corresponding to 15:30 hours, Indian Standard Time. The Synod of Bishops assembled at Mount St. Thomas from 17 to 26 August 2015 elected Fr. Antony Kariyil CMI the second bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy o

Cochin 6 August 2015: The Holy Father Pope Francis erected an Apostolic Exarchate (Vicariate) for the Syro-Malabar faithful in Canada with its See in Mississauga and Fr. Jose Kalluvelil, as its first Exarch, assigning him the titular see of “Tabalta”. The announcement regarding these provisions was made by the Holy Father Pope Francis today, on Thursday, 6 August 2015 in the Vatican at 12.00 noon and simultaneously at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad

Cochin 6 August 2015: Fr. Antony Prince Panengadan is appointed the second Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Adilabad in the State of Thelungana. The announcement of this appointment by the Holy Father Pope Francis was made today, on Thursday 6 August 2015 in the Vatican at 12.00 noon and simultaneously at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad and at the Bishop’s House, Adilabad, at 3.30 p.m. IST. Major Archbishop George Cardinal Alencherry made this

Kochi 22 July 2015: His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Fr. Joseph Kodakallil, of the clergy of Satna, presently Vicar General, as the new Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Satna, Madhya Pradesh. This ecclesiastical provision was made public in Rome on Wednesday, 22 July 2015, at noon local time, corresponding to 15:30 hours, Indian Standard Time. The newly appointed Bishop was born on 18 December 1965 at Pothanikad, in the Eparchy of Kothamangalam, Kerala. Havin