All India Press Release Ref: I-a-5/CCBI-PR/01 2 February 2015 The 27th Plenary Assembly of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) to be held in Bangalore to invigorate the Liturgical Life. What is CCBI? The CCBI is the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India for the Latin Rite Bishops, which was established on 22nd April, 1988 in accordance with the Code of Canon Law and the letter of St. John Paul II, dated 28th May, 1987. The CCBI has its own organizatio

27th Plenary Assembly of CCBI – Bengaluru From 3-9 February, 2015 Final Statement “ I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full ” (John 10:10) We, the 140 members of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India gathered for the 27 th Plenary Assembly at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru from 3-9 February, 2015, wish to convey our greetings of joy, peace and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ to our Priests, Religious, Lay Faithful and a

MESSAGE OF THE 27th PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) Held from 3 to 9 February, 2015, Bangalore “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10) We, the 140 members of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India gathered for the 27th Plenary Assembly at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru from 3-9 February, 2015, wish to convey our greetings of joy, peace and love of Our Lord Jesus Ch

Bangalore, February 7, 2015 – Cardinal Oswald Gracias has been re-elected as the president of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) at its ongoing 27th Plenary Assembly in Bangalore. Along with Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa was reappointed CCBI Vice President and Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of Calicut as CCBI Secretary General at the February 3-9 CCBI Assembly attended by 140 bishops from 131 Latin rite dioceses in the country. Archb

Bangalore, Feb 3, 2015 – Inaugurating the week-long Assembly of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) in Bangalore on February 3, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, has exhorted the Church in India to promote harmony and to fight discrimination. “A true God experience will lead the clergy and the faithful to the engagement in and solidarity with the marginalized and exploited in the Society” said Archbishop Pennacchio after

Pune – Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and advisor to Pope Francis, has expressed serious concerns over planned mass conversion of Christians by RSS-backed group in Aligarh on December 25 and said it would be a sad moment for India if such a campaign is allowed by the government. Speaking to The Indian Express, the Archbishop not only expressed his reservations on “ghar wapsi” events, but also on saffron groups’ demand for calling ‘Fathers’ in Catholic education

New Delhi, 22 December 2014: His Holiness Pope Francis has erected the new Diocese of Kuzhithurai in Tamilnadu, India, bifurcated from the Diocese of Kottar, making it suffragan of the Archdiocese of Madurai. This Ecclesiastical Provision was made public in Rome on Monday, 22nd December, 2014, at noon local time, corresponding to 16:30hours, Indian Standard Time. The Church of the Most Holy Trinity at Thirithuvapuram, Kuzhithurai, Kanyakumari District, will become the Cathedr

New Delhi 22 December 2014: The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has appointed Fr. Jerome Dhas Varuvel SDB, 63 years, the first bishop of the newly erected diocese of Kuzhithurai. At the time of his appointment, Bishop-elect Jeromedhas was the Master of Novices of the Chennai Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The bishop-elect was born on 21 October 1951 at Kallutharai, in Kanyakumari district, in the diocese of Kottar. He completed his High School from Carmel School, Nagercoi

His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of His Lordship Rt. Rev. Peter Celestine, OFM Cap., from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Jammu-Srinagar, according to Canon Law 401 § 1, and has appointed Rev. Fr. Ivan Pereira, of the clergy of Jammu-Srinagar, as the new Bishop of Jammu-Srinagar. From the same date, the Bishop-Elect is appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese until the date of his canonical taking possession. This was made public in Rome on W

New Delhi: Leaders of mainline Christian Churches in India on Thursday called for strong political will and administrative action to check increasing attacks on religious minorities in the country. “We the Christians who are a small religious community need assurance from the government that we are protected and secure and safe in our motherland,” the leaders from Catholic and Protestant Churches told a press conference in New Delhi. They also expressed grief over the killing

The Catholic Church in India, united in one voice, raises its hymn of thanking to the Almighty for raising Blessed Elias Kuriakose Chavara and Blessed Euphrasia Eluvathingalto the rank of Saints and ascribing to them the honour of the Altar. His Holiness Pope Francis presided over the Canonization Ceremonies at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday, 23rd November, 2014, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican. All the four Cardinals from India, scores of Bishops

It is with great joy and profound gratitude to God that the Catholic Church in India is looking forward to the historic moment of the Canonization of Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Blessed Euphrasia Eluvanthingal, to be solemnized by His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican at 10.30 am on Sunday, 23rd November, 2014. This is an occasion for us to rejoice and at the same time, to thank God for the wonderful gift of these two saints to the Church in India, and to the Unive