Varghese Chakkalakal

His Grace The Most Reverend Monsignor Varghese Chakkalakal
Metropolitan Archbishop of Calicut
Archdiocese	Calicut
Appointed	15 May 2012
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Kannur (1998-2012)
Orders
Ordination	2 April 1981
Consecration	7 February 1999 by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil, OCD
Personal details
Born	(1953-02-07) 7 February 1953 (age 72) Malapallipuram, Kerala, India
Nationality	Indian
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Alma mater	Pontifical Urban University
Motto	According to Your Will

Mons. VargheseChakkalakal is the current metropolitan archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calicut. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Early life

Varghese was born on 7 February 1953 at Malapallipuram, Kerala, India. ^{[1] [5]}

Education

He acquired his Master of Theology from Pontifical Seminary, Aluva, Kerala, India and also completed his Master of Arts specialising in History from University of Mysore. He acquired his doctorate in canon law from Pontifical Urban University, Rome. He was a professor of Fundamental Theology, Canon Law and Moral Theology. ^[6]

Priesthood

He joined St. Joseph's Seminary, Mangalore in 1971 for the diocese of Calicut. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Maxwell Noronha on 2 April 1981 in Mother of God Cathedral, Calicut. ^[1] He also served as the Dean of Studies. ^[6]

Episcopate

• On 5 November 1998, he was appointed as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kannur and was consecrated as the first Bishop of Kannur *On 7 February 1999 by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil, OCD. His episcopal motto is "According to Your Will".
• On 15 May 2012 he was appointed bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calicut. ^{[1] [6]}
• On 12 April 2025, Pope Francis elevated the Diocese of Kozhikode to the status of an archdiocese and appointed Chakkalakal as its first Metropolitan Archbishop. ^[7]

References

1. "Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
2. "Dr Varghese Chakkalakal: Latest News, Videos and Photos of Dr Varghese Chakkalakal | Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
3. "Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of Calicut – Matters India" . Retrieved 2019-03-07.
4. "Varghese chakkalakal, the bishop of the catholic calicut diocese, has said that minorities have no reason to worry under the bjp government - scoopnest.com". Scoopnest. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
5. "Bishop | Calicut Diocese" . Retrieved 2019-03-07.
6. "Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal | Bishop of Calicut Diocese Varghese Chakkalakal | Ucanews". directory.ucanews.com. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
7. "കോഴിക്കോട് അതിരൂപതയായി ഉയർത്തപ്പെട്ടു, ആർച്ചുബിഷപ്പ് അഭിവന്ദ്യ വർഗ്ഗീസ് ചക്കാലക്കൽ! - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va (in Malayalam). 2025-04-12. Retrieved 2025-04-12.