New Delhi, 31 January 2026 (CCBI): The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo (76) from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Udupi, effective 31 January 2026. Bishop Lobo served as Bishop of Shimoga from 2000 to 2012 and as Bishop of Udupi from 2012 to 2026. He is presently the Chairman of the CCBI Committee for the Implementation of the Pastoral Plan. Born on 12 November 1949, Bishop Lobo was ordained a priest on 5 May 1977. He

New Delhi, 31 January 2026 (CCBI): The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has appointed Rev. Fr. Leslie Clifford D’Souza, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Health, Shirva, as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Udupi. The Holy Father has accepted the resignation of Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Udupi. Fr. Leslie Clifford D’Souza was born on 19 August 1962 in Yermal, in the Diocese of Udupi, Karnataka. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts through distance

Gorakhpur, 25 January 2026: Mar Dominic Kokkat, C.S.T. (93), the first Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, passed away on Sunday, 25 January 2026, at 10.58 a.m. at Fatima Hospital, Gorakhpur. Funeral details are awaited. He served as the Bishop of Gorakhpur for 22 years, from 1984 to 2006. Bishop Dominic was admitted to hospital on 14 December 2025 for the treatment of pneumonia. He was administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick on S

Volume No. XXXVI, 2 | July-December 2025 BLESSED ELISWA

New Delhi 29 November 2025 (CCBI): Fr. Edward Baretto has been appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Darjeeling by Pope Leo XIV. The announcement was made on 29 November 2025. Fr. Baretto, 60, is currently the judicial vicar of the diocese and the coordinator of its diocesan commissions. Fr. Baretto was born on 5 January 1965 in Alampuri, in Bantwal Taluk of the Mangalore diocese in Karnataka. He received his early education at St. Thomas Higher Primary School in Nirkan and continued

Fr. Rabindra Kumar Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar New Delhi, 22 November 2025 (CCBI): Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Rabindra Kumar Ranasingh (53), of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, as the Auxiliary Bishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in Odisha and Titular Bishop of Tuburbo Maggiore. At present, he is the Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Church, Jatni and Dean of Cuttack Deanery. Fr. Ranasingh was born on 9 July 1972 in Kasabasa village in Kandhamal distric

New Delhi, 1 November 2025 (CCBI): Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Simon Almeida, 65, as the new Bishop of Poona. He is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Western Regional Bishops’ Council and the Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Church, Ghorpuri, Pune. Fr. Simon Almeida was born on 4 November 1960 in Gass, Bhatori. He completed his schooling at St. Gonsalo Garcia Primary School and Holy Cross High School, Nirmal. In 1978, he joined Prakash Bhavan Minor Seminary, Pune, and lat

New Delhi, September 28, 2024 (CCBI): The Vatican has appointed Dr. Freya Francis (27), from Coimbatore, India, to the International Youth Advisory Body (IYAB). This appointment, announced on September 25, 2024, by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, represents a significant move in the Church’s efforts to embrace diverse global perspectives. Dr. Freya belongs to the Jesus Youth Movement will represent India during her three-year term. A graduate in homeopathy, Dr. Frey

New Delhi, 25 October 2025 (CCBI): His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Antony Kattiparambil as the new Bishop of Cochin. The announcement was made on 25 October 2025. Fifty-five-year-old Fr. Kattiparambil is presently serving as the Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Cochin. Born on 14 October 1970 in Mundamveli, Fr. Antony belongs to St. Louis Church, Mundamveli. He is the son of the late Jacob and the late Treesa, and the youngest among seven children, four sisters an

New Delhi, 25 October 2025 (CCBI): His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Stephen Fernandes as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay. The announcement was made on 25 October 2025. Fr. Stephen Fernandes, 64, is presently serving as the Secretary to the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli and is based at the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi. Born on 20 September 1961, Fr. Fernandes was ordained a priest on 31 March 1990 for the Arc

Vatican City, 25 October 2025 (CCBI): “The work of the Diocesan Synodal Team is not merely organizational, it is a ministry of communion,” said His Eminence Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrão, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC). Cardinal Ferrão was addressing an international gathering of Synodal Teams and participatory bodies during the Jubilee of Synodal Teams, which is being held in Rome from

Goa, 23 October 2025: “To serve the poor is to serve Christ,” said Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, underlining that charity is not merely a duty but a living act of faith. The Cardinal was releasing the Indian edition of the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You) during the annual gathering of Communio Directors at St. Joseph Vaz Spiritual Renewal Centre, Old Goa. “Love for Christ finds its truest expression in love for the poor. The disciple who loves the Master can