Conference of Catholic Bishops of India

Last updated
Conference of Catholic Bishops of India
AbbreviationCCBI
Formation22 April 1988
Type Episcopal conference
Legal statusCivil nonprofit
PurposeTo support the ministry of bishops
HeadquartersConference of Catholic Bishops of India, CCBI Centre, Post Box No: 8490, Hutchins Road 2nd Cross, Bangalore – 560 084, Karnataka, India
Region served
India
Membership
Active and retired Latin Church Catholic bishops of India
President
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao
Vice President
Archbishop George Antonysamy
Secretary – General
Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto
Deputy Secretary-General
Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara
Affiliations Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences
Website ccbi.in

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) is the national episcopal conference of the bishops of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in India, functioning in accordance with canon 447. There are 132 Latin Catholic dioceses in the country, and 190 active and retired bishops are the members of the CCBI. This is the largest bishops' conference in Asia and the fourth-largest in the world. The CCBI is a member of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.

Contents

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India enables the Latin Catholic bishops of the country to exchange ideas and information, deliberate on the Church's broad concerns and take care of the pastoral needs of the faithful. The conference is to assist the bishops both in pastoral care and in evangelization, the twin duties of a bishop. One of the main purposes of the CCBI according to its statutes is "to promote that greater good which the Church offers humankind especially through forms and programmes of the apostolate which are adequately adapted to the circumstances of time and place." [1]

Historical background

In 1944 a conference of Indian bishops known as Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) was established. When the national episcopal conferences got the juridical and structural recognition during Vatican II, the CBCI began to reorganize itself with infrastructures such as national commissions, regional councils of bishops and national organizations working under its guidance and directives. The promulgation of the Latin 1983 Code of Canon Law in 1983 contributed to the debate about establishing a conference only for the Latin rite bishops. Pope John Paul II, after his visit to India in 1986, wrote an apostolic letter to the Indian bishops on 28 May 1987. An important text of which reads thus: "The bishops of each of the three rites have the right to establish their own episcopal bodies in accordance with their own ecclesiastical legislation. The CBCI which is an assembly of the bishops of India of the three rites is to continue for matters of common concern and of national and supra-ritual character. These areas are to be determined in the new statues of the CBCI".

In compliance with the pope's directive, the CBCI in its general meeting in April 1988 decided that all the three ritual churches could have their own episcopal bodies. Accordingly, the bishops of the Latin Church started their own episcopal conference in the same meeting and named it "Conference of Catholic Bishops of India – Latin Rite" (CCBI-LR). In January 1994, the Holy See approved its statutes. Hence, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India is an organization having its legal foundation in canon law, which applies to the Catholic church of the Roman rite throughout the world. Therefore, according to canons 447–459, the CCBI is the central church body of the bishops in India and its purpose is to deliberate on matters of concern for the whole Latin church and encourage activities in accordance with the needs of the times. The members of the CCBI are: 1) The diocesan bishops, their coadjutors, and auxiliaries, 2) The administrators of the dioceses when the Episcopal See is vacant, 3) The retired bishops and, 4) those honorary bishops appointed by the Holy See or the bishops' conference for particular tasks.

The bishops' conference is headed by a president, who is overall in-charge and represents the conference, a vice president and a secretary general to assist him for a term of two years. The bishops' conference, in addition to plenary assemblies, has an executive committee to handle ordinary matters, the commissions and the secretariat.

Organizational structure

At first, an ad hoc office bearers body consisting of a president and vice president was elected and a small team of four bishops forming the executive committee assisted it. At its Third Plenary Assembly in Goa (1991) a full team of office bearers was elected and an executive committee consisting of the office bearers, all the metropolitans of the Latin ecclesiastical provinces and the chairpersons of CCBI commissions was constituted. The Holy See approved its statues on 13 January 1994. At the lapse of five years in 1999 and in the light of the Apostolos Suos, the statutes were revised and the Holy See permanently approved them on 3 December 2000 (Prot. 5242/00). The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India was registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. Regd. No.S/19920 of 1 May 1989.

Executive committee

The executive committee acts as the Administrative Board. It meets at least once a year mainly to see that the decisions, resolutions and recommendations of the Conference are duly implemented. It is composed of:

  1. The office bearers of the conference (president, vice president and secretary general).
  2. The metropolitans (archbishops of Agra, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bombay, Calcutta, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Goa and Daman, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Madras-Mylapore, Madurai, Nagpur, Patna, Pondicherry-Cuddalore, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Trivandrum, Verapoly and Vizhakapattanam).
  3. The chairmen of the CCBI commissions.

Plenary Assembly

The Bishops of the Latin Catholic Church in India are the members of the Plenary Assembly of the conference. The Ordinary Plenary Assembly of the conference is held every year. Extraordinary Plenary Assemblies are held according to the need decided by at least a two-thirds of the members of the executive committee.

At the Plenary Assembly the conference reviews the situation and assesses the progress of the Church in India, and in the light of its own purposes it decides on plans that may be needed and actions that may be envisaged.

The reports of the twelve commissions, regional bishops' councils are submitted every two years in the Plenary Assembly. While the report of the secretary general is published along with the Report of the Annual General Body Meeting of the CCBI, the Biennial Reports of the CCBI Commissions and regional bishops' councils are printed separately just before the meeting. Whereas the reports of the various proceedings of the annual Plenary Assembly and reports of the secretary general are published every year. The reports of the commissions normally find place in the agenda booklet of the Plenary Assembly or they are printed in a separate booklet.

Plenary Assemblies

CCBI Secretariats in India

CCBI Centre

The CCBI Centre is the Central Secretariat of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India. The Deputy Secretary General operates from the CCBI Centre, Bangalore. The Secretariat coordinates the ministries of the 16 Commissions and 4 Departments of the CCBI, of which three of the Commission Executive Secretaries reside at the Centre along with the Deputy Secretary General.

The first CCBI Secretariat was in Goa in 1988, it was then shifted to Delhi in 1992. In Delhi it operated from the CCBI Secretariat, Pitampura, from 1992 to 1995 and from Archbishop's House Delhi from 1995 to 1996. In the year 1997 the CCBI established its own first separate Secretariat in Delhi, at 9–10, Bhai Vir Singh Marg, New Delhi 110001.

The CCBI Centre Bangalore was inaugurated on 14 September 2002 as the Secretariat for the CCBI Commissions for Bible, Catechetics and Liturgy. Later in the year 2003 the Deputy Secretary General shifted his office from Delhi to the Bangalore, Secretariat. The CCBI building at Delhi is currently used by Caritas India

Shanti Sadan

Shanti Sadan is the CCBI Secretariat Extension in Benaulim, Goa, it was inaugurated on 6 January 2020. Three of the CCBI Commission Secretaries are operating from Shanti Sadan. The building was constructed by FABC in 2003 for the Commission for Evangelization. The FABC closed its office in Goa and the CCBI bought it on 16 December 2018. The CCBI renovated the building and constructed a chapel and conference hall.

Suvarta Kendra

Suvarta Kendra is the CCBI Secretariat for Proclamation. The land and property belongs to the Allahabad diocese and the Allahabad diocese handed over the property to the CCBI to promote evangelization in the Church in India especially in the north and northeast India. The Suvarta Kendra as the Secretariat of the CCBI Commission for Proclamation was inaugurated in 2011.

Bethania

Bethania is the Secretariat of the CCBI Youth Commission and the ICYM and YCS/YSM also operate from Bethania. It was inaugurated on 13 September 2019. The property and building of Bethania belong to the Archdiocese of Delhi.

Pontifical Mission Organisations

The Pontifical Mission Organisations (PMO) is the name given to a group of Catholic missionary societies that are under the canonical jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. In India PMO operates under the guidance and direction of the CCBI. The PMO organizations include: (1) The Society for the Propagation of the Faith, (2) The Society of St. Peter the Apostle, (3) Holy Childhood Association and (4) Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. Currently the National Director resides and operates from the PMO Secretariat.

Office Bearers of the CCBI

Presidents of CCBI

  1. Archbishop Henry D'Souza: 1988–1990; 1991-1992
  2. Cardinal Simon Pimenta: 1993–1995; 1995-1997
  3. Archbishop Marianus Arokiasamy: 1997-1999
  4. Archbishop Henry D'Souza: 1999-2001
  5. Archbishop Telesphore Toppo: 2001-2004
  6. Cardinal Oswald Gracias: 2005-2010
  7. Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo: 2011-2013
  8. Cardinal Oswald Gracias: 2013 –2019
  9. Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao 2019-

Vice-Presidents of CCBI

  1. Archbishop Leobard D'Souza : 1988
  2. Archbishop Marianus Arockiasamy: 1991
  3. Archbishop Casimir Gnanadickam: 1993
  4. Archbishop Marianus Arockiasamy: 1994
  5. Bishop Patrick D'Souza: 1996
  6. Archbishop Telesphore P. Toppo: 1998-2002
  7. Bishop Valerian D'souza: 2002-2007
  8. Archbishop Vincent M. Concessao: 2007-2011
  9. Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão: 2011-2017
  10. Archbishop George Antonysamy: 2017 -

Secretary General of CCBI

  1. Archbishop Angelo Fernandes: 1989
  2. Bishop Joseph Rodericks: 1991
  3. Archbishop Ignatius Paul Pinto: 1994-1998
  4. Bishop Thomas Dabre: 1998-2005
  5. Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu: 2005-2011
  6. Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal: 2011 - 2017
  7. Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto: 2017 -

Deputy Secretaries General of CCBI

  1. Rev. Dr. Mario Saturnino Dias: 1989-1991
  2. Rev. Dr. Arulsamy: 1991-2002
  3. Rev. Dr. Simon Sebastian: 2002-2006
  4. Rev. Dr. Udumala Bala: 2006-2013
  5. Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara: 2014-

CCBI Commissions and Chairmen

1. Commission for Boundary Chairman: Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa and Daman Member: Most Rev. George Antonysamy, Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore Member: Most Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of Delhi

2. Commission for Bible Chairman: Most Rev. Antonysamy Peter Abir, Bishop of Sultanpet Member: Most Rev. Joseph Raja Rao S.M.M., Bishop of Vijayawada Member: Most Rev. John Rodrigues, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay

3. Commission for Canon Law and Other Legislative Texts Chairman: Most Rev. Derek Fernandes, Bishop of Karwar Member: Most Rev. Cajetan Francis Osta, Bishop of Muzaffarpur Member: Most Rev. Sebastian Thekethecheril, Bishop of Vijayapuram

4. Commission for Catechetics Chairman: Most Rev. Thomas Ignatius Macwan, Archbishop of Gandhinagar Member: Most Rev. Jojo Anand, Bishop of Hazaribag Member: Most Rev. Antonisamy Francis, Bishop of Kumbakonam

5. Commission for Ecology Chairman: Most Rev. Allwyn D'Silva, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay Member: Most Rev. Ivan Pereira, Bishop of Jammu-Srinagar Member: Most Rev. Kishor Kumar Kujur, Bishop of Rourkela

6. Commission for Ecumenism Chairman: Most Rev. Francis Serrao, SJ, Bishop of Shimoga Member: Most Rev. Arulappan Amalraj, Bishop of Ootacamund Member: Most Rev. Thomas Dabre, Bishop of Poona

7. Commission for Family Chairman: Most Rev. Sebastian Kallupura, Co-adjutor Bishop of Patna Member: Most Rev. Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore Member: Most Rev. Thomas Aquinas, Bishop of Coimbatore

8. Commission for Laity Chairman: Most Rev. Eugene Joseph, Bishop of Varanasi Member: Most Rev. Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore Member: Most Rev. Stephen Lepcha, Bishop of Darjeeling

9. Commission for Liturgy Chairman: Most Rev. Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore Member: Most Rev. Paul Toppo, Bishop of Raigarh Member: Most Rev. Niranjan Sualsingh, Bishop of Sambalpur

10. Commission for Migrants Chairman: Most Rev. Victor Henry Thakur, Archbishop of Raipur Member: Most Rev. Elias Gonsalves, Bishop of Amravati Member: Most Rev. Soundararaju Periyanayagam, SDB, Bishop of Vellore

11. Commission for Proclamation Chairman: Most Rev. Raphy Manjaly, Bishop of Allahabad Member: Most Rev. George Palliparambil, SDB, Bishop of Miao Member: Most Rev. Sebastianappan Singaroyan, Bishop of Salem

12. Commission for Small Christian Communities Chairman: Most Rev. Ignatius Loyola Mascarenhas, Bishop of Simla Member: Most Rev. Selvister Ponnumuthan, Bishop of Punalur Member: Most Rev. Gerald John Mathias, Bishop of Lucknow

13. Commission for Theology and Doctrine Chairman: Most Rev. Felix Toppo, SJ, Archbishop of Ranchi Member: Most Rev. Albert D'Souza, Archbishop of Agra Member: Most Rev. Lawrence Pius Dorairaj, Bishop of Dharmapuri

14. Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy and Religious Chairman: Most Rev. Udumala Bala, Bishop of Warangal Member: Most Rev. Vincent Aind, Bishop of Bagdogra Member: Most Rev. Varghese Chakkalakal, Bishop of Calicut

15. Commission for Women Chairman: Most Rev. Francis Kalist, Bishop of Meerut Member: Most Rev. Binay Kandulna, Bishop of Khunti Member: Most Rev. Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi

16. Commission for Youth Chairman: Most Rev. Nazarene Soosai, Bishop of Kottar Member: Most Rev. Ignatius D'Souza, Bishop of Bareilly Member: Most Rev. Henry D'Souza, Bishop of Bellary

Regions under CCBI

1. The Agra Regional Bishops' Council (ARBC) consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Agra.

(1) Agra Archdiocese, (2) Ajmer, (3) Allahabad, (4) Bareilly, (5) Jaipur, (6) Jhansi, (7) Lucknow, (8) Meerut, (9) Udaipur, (10) Varanasi.

Chairman: Most Rev. Albert D'Souza (Agra)

Secretary: Most Rev. Oswald Lewis (Jaipur)

2. The Bengal Regional Bishops' Council (BRBC) consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Calcutta.

(1) Calcutta Archdiocese, (2) Asansol, (3) Bagdogra, (4) Baruipur, (5) Darjeeling, (6) Jalpaiguri, (7) Krishnagar, (8) Raiganj.

Chairman: Most Rev. Thomas D'Souza (Calcutta)

Secretary: Most Rev. Clement Tirkey (Jalpaiguri)

3. The Jharkhand Regional Bishops' Council consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Ranchi.

(1) Ranchi Archdiocese, (2) Daltonganj, (3) Dumka, (4) Gumla, (5) Jamshedpur, (6) Khunti, (7) Port-Blair, (8) Simdega, (9) Hazaribag.

Chairman: Most Rev. Felix Toppo (Jamshedpur) Secretary: Most Rev. Theodore Mascarenhas (Aux. Ranchi)

4. The Bihar Regional Bishops' Council consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Patna.

(1) Patna Archdiocese, (2) Bettiah, (3) Bhagalpur, (4) Buxar, (5) Muzaffarpur, (6) Purnea.

Chairman: Most Rev. William D'Souza (Patna) Secretary: Most Rev. Sebastian Kallupura (Buxar)

5. The Council of Bishops of Chhattisgarh (CBCG) consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Raipur.

(1) Raipur Archdiocese, (2) Ambikapur, (3) Jashpur, (4) Raigarh.

Chairman: Most Rev. Victor Henry Thakur (Raipur)

Secretary: Most Rev. Paul Toppo (Raigarh)

6. The Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops' Council (KRCBC) comprises all the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Bangalore.

(1) Bangalore Archdiocese, (2) Bellary, (3) Belgaum, (4) Chikmagalur, (5) Gulbarga, (6) Karwar, (7) Mangalore, (8) Mysore, (9) Shimoga, (10) Udupi.

Chairman: Most Rev. Bernard Moras (Bangalore)

7. The Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Bishops' Council (KRLCBC) comprises all the Bishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Verapoly and Trivandrum (Latin Rite).

(1) Verapoly Archdiocese, (2) Calicut, (3) Cochin, (4) Kannur, (5) Kottapuram, (6) Sultanpet, (7) Vijayapuram.

(1) Trivandrum Archdiocese, (2) Alleppey, (3) Neyyatinkara, (4) Punalur, (5) Quilon.

Chairman: Most Rev. Maria Kalist Soosa Pakiam (Trivandrum)

Secretary: Most Rev. Varghese Chakkalakal (Calicut)

8. The Council of Bishops of Madhya Pradesh (CBMP) consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Bhopal.

(1) Bhopal Archdiocese, (2) Gwalior, (3) Indore, (4) Jabalpur, (5) Jhabua, (6) Khandwa

Chairman: Most Rev. Leo Cornelio (Bhopal)

Secretary: Most Rev. Chacko Thottumarickal (Indore)

9. The Regional Bishops' Council of the North consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Delhi.

(1) Delhi Archdiocese, (2) Jammu-Srinagar, (3) Jalandhar, (4) Simla-Chandigarh.

Chairman: Most Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto (Delhi)

Secretary: Most Rev. Franco Mulakkal (Jalandhar)

10. The North Eastern Regional Bishops' Council consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Shillong, Guwahati and Imphal.

(1) Shillong Archdiocese, (2) Agartala, (3) Aizawl, (4) Jowai, (5) Nongstoin, (6) Tura.

(1) Guwahati Archdiocese, (2) Bongaigaon, (3) Dibrugarh, (4) Diphu, (5) Itanagar, (6) Miao, (7) Tezpur.

(1) Imphal Archdiocese, (2) Kohima.

Chairman: Most Rev. Dominic Jala, SDB (Shillong)

Secretary: Most Rev. John Thomas Kattrukudiyil (Itanagar)

11. The Orissa Bishops' Regional Council (OBRC) consists of the Bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar.

(1) Cuttack- Bhubaneswar Archdiocese, (2) Balasore, (3) Berhampur, (4) Rourkela, (5) Sambalpur.

Chairman: Most Rev. John Barwa, SVD (Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar)

Secretary: Most Rev. Simon Kaipuram, CM (Balasore)

12. The Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council (TNBC) comprises all the Bishops of ecclesiastical provinces of Madras-Mylapore, Madurai, Pondicherry-Cuddalore.

1) Madras-Mylapore Archdiocese, (2) Chingleput, (3) Coimbatore, (4) Ootacamund, (5) Vellore.

(1) Madurai Archdiocese, (2) Dindigul, (3) Kottar, (4) Kuzhithurai, (5) Palayamkottai, (6) Sivagangai, (7) Tiruchirappalli, (8) Tuticorin.

(1) Pondicherry-Cuddalore Archdiocese, (2) Dharmapuri, (3) Kumbakonam, (4) Salem, (5) Thanjavur.

Chairman: Most Rev. Peter Remigius (Kottar)

Secretary: Most Rev. J. Susaimanickam (Sivagangai)

13. The Telugu Catholic Bishops' Council (TCBC) comprises all the Bishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam

(1) Hyderabad Archdiocese, (2) Cuddapah, (3) Khammam, (4) Kurnool, (5) Nalgonda, (6) Warangal.

(1) Visakhapatnam Archdiocese, (2) Eluru, (3) Guntur, (4) Nellore, (5) Srikakulam, (6) Vijayawada.

Chairman: Most Rev. Thumma Bala (Hyderabad)

Secretary: Most Rev. Anthony Poola (Kurnool)

14. The Western Regional Bishops' Council comprises all the Bishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Bombay, Nagpur, Goa and Daman, Gandhinagar.

(1) Bombay Archdiocese, (2) Nashik, (3) Poona, (4) Vasai.

(1) Nagpur Archdiocese, (2) Amravati, (3) Aurangabad

(1) Goa and Daman Archdiocese, (2) Sindhudurg.

(1) Gandhinagar Archdiocese, (2) Ahmedabad, (3) Baroda

Chairman: Most Rev. Felix Anthony Machado (Vasai)

Secretary: Most Rev. Dominic Savio Fernandes (Bombay)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Powathil</span> Syro-Malabar Catholic archbishop (1929–2023)

Joseph Powathil was an Indian prelate of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. He was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Changanassery, serving from 1985 until 2007. He was also the first bishop of Kanjirappally, having served from 1977 to 1985. He served as the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) from 1994 to 1998. Powathil was one of the youngest bishops in India, having been ordained bishop at the age of 41 and Pope Paul VI was his principal consecrator. A scholar in theology, Powathil is known for his stance in matters related to the Syro-Malabar Church's liturgy and restoration of eastern traditions. His stance on the fee structure of self-financing colleges had once become a challenge for the Kerala state government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in India</span>

The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope. There are over 20 million Catholics in India, representing around 1.55% of the total population, and the Catholic Church is the single largest Christian church in India. There are 10,701 parishes that make up 174 dioceses and eparchies, which are organised into 29 ecclesiastical provinces. Of these, 132 dioceses are of the Latin Church, 31 of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and 11 of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Despite the very small population that Indian Catholics make up percentage wise, India still has the second-largest Christian population in Asia after the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy</span> Catholic cardinal

Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy was an Indian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1985. His episcopical motto was Aedificare domum Dei which means "To build the house of God". He was the fourth cardinal from India and the first curial cardinal of Asia outside of the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devasahayam Pillai</span> Indian martyr and Saint

Devasahayam Pillai or Mar Lazarus Sahada was an Indian layman and martyr of the Catholic Church. He was canonized as a saint of the church by Pope Francis on 15 May 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Bishops' Conference of India</span> Association of the Catholic bishops of India

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is the permanent association of the Catholic bishops of India. It was established in September 1944, in Chennai. The CBCI Secretariat was located in Bangalore until 1962, when it was shifted to the national capital, New Delhi. The CBCI is a member of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangalore</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Karnataka, India

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bangalore is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in India. It was erected as pro-vicariate from, as Vicariate from, as Diocese of Mysore - Bangalore in the Ecclesiastical Metropolitan Province of Pondicherry in Southern India from, as Diocese of Bangalore on 13 February 1940 by Pope Pius XII, and elevated to the rank of a Metropolitan Archdiocese on 19 September 1953, with the Suffragan Dioceses of Belgaum, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Gulbarga, Karwar, Mangalore, Udupi, Mysore, and Shimoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in West Bengal, India

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta is an ecclesiastical Latin Church territory of the Catholic Church in India.

Archbishop Samineni Arulappa, also known as S Arulappa, was an Indian Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Hyderabad from December 1971 through January 2000. The youngest priest to be consecrated to such a high office, he was also the longest-serving Catholic archbishop in India. He was also the first archbishop who had the honour of being consecrated by Pope Paul VI in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Bellary</span> Latin Catholic diocese in India

The Diocese of Bellary is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in India. Its episcopal see is Bellary. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Bangalore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Mangalore</span> Latin Catholic diocese in India

The Diocese of Mangalore is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Mangalore, India. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Bangalore. At present, it comprises the whole civil districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka state. The area of the Diocese was collectively referred to as South Canara during the Company rule in India, in the subsequent British India after Direct rule from London commenced & in the early post-independence Bombay state, prior to the States Reorganisation Act (1956). It was established as a separate Apostolic Vicariate from the Apostolic Vicariate of Verapoly in 1853, and was promoted to a diocese on 1 September 1886.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Goa and Damaon, India

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan region, by the west coast of India. The ecclesiastical province of Goa and Damaon includes a suffragan diocese, the Sindhudurg Diocese that comprises the Malvani areas of. The Archbishop of Goa also holds the titles of Primate of the East and Patriarch of the East Indies, also hold the title of the Syrian Catholic Primate of the Archdiocese of Cranganore. The beginnings lie in the Padroado system of Portuguese Goa and Damaon, in the early 1900s the primatial see was transferred back to the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as the Padroado system of the Indo-Portuguese era was being dismantled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Kallarakal</span> Indian Roman Catholic Archbishop

Francis Kallarackal was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly in India. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 20 February 2010.

The Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) is an association of episcopal conferences of Catholic Church in South, Southeast, East and Central Asia. The federation fosters solidarity and joint responsibility for the welfare of the Church and of society in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert D'Souza</span> Catholic prelate in India

Albert D'Souza is a Catholic prelate in India who served as the tenth Archbishop of Agra from 16 February 2007 to 12 November 2020.

Stephen Alathara is the deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI). He started as the deputy secretary general of the conference on 10 June 2014. He was appointed to this post three times consecutively in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He is the first priest from Kerala to serve as the deputy secretary general of the national episcopal conference. He is the founding Director of Communio, Executive Secretary to the CCBI Commission for Boundary, Chief Functionary of the Episcopal Conference, the Director of CCBI Centre., Bangalore, the Director of Shanti Sadan, CCBI Secretariat Extension, Benaulim, Goa, Incharge of the PR Office in New Delhi and the Editor of the CCBI News. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India is the largest canonical national episcopal conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. There are 132 dioceses and 206 bishops under the conference.

Anil Joseph Thomas Couto is the serving archbishop of the Archdiocese of Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Machado</span> Indian Catholic Archbishop of Bangalore

Peter Machado is an Indian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Aind</span> Roman Catholic bishop

Vincent Aind is an Indian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He serves as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Ranchi since 2023. Previously he served as Bishop of Bagdogra from 2015 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Pamplany</span> Eastern Catholic archbishop in India

Mar Joseph Pamplany is a is an Indian-born bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church serving archbishop of the Archdiocese of Tellicherry since 2022.

References

  1. Statutes, art. 3:1

Official website