Catholic Bishops' Conference of India
Encyclopedia
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is the episcopal conference
Episcopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...

 of the Catholic bishops
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

 of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It was first convened in September 1944, in Madras (now Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

). Currently (2007) the CBCI has 212 members and 38 honorary members, and is headquartered in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

, the capital of India. The CBCI reviews the position of the Church in India
Roman Catholicism in India
The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope and the curia in Rome.There are over 17.3 million Catholics in India, which represents less than 2% of the total population and is the largest Christian church within India. There are 157...

, and also undertakes a variety of activities covering, for example, the youth, health care and media.

According to a Friday, June 17, 2011 online news story by Sarah Delaney of the Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service is an American news agency covering the Roman Catholic Church. CNS was established in 1920 and is a leading source of news for Catholic print and broadcast media throughout the world....

:

"Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

 singled out women religious to praise them for their positive role in the church in their country.

In a speech to the Indian bishops for their "ad limina" visits, made every five years, the pope said he wished to express his appreciation "in a particular way" for the women's work in the Indian church.

These women religious, he said, "perform innumerable good works" that are often hidden but nevertheless of great value to the up-building of God's kingdom." They should be encouraged in their dedication, and young women be encouraged to consider a vocation, he said.

The pope also told the bishops that they should be supportive of their priests, whom he called "your closest collaborators," and be attentive to their spiritual, intellectual and material well-being.

Pope Benedict said it was the job of each bishop to govern his diocese with prudence and charity and unify "his flock into one family."

Through the preaching of the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...

, celebration of sacraments and care for the pastoral work of the clergy, bishops are able to reach both the religious and the laity in their care, the pope said in the speech, released by the Vatican Information Service
Vatican Information Service
The Vatican Information Service is an official news service of the Holy See Press Office.The service was founded in 1991, and transmits news on a daily basis at 3pm Rome time, except during the month of August and on Vatican State holidays .The service is available in four languages: English,...

 June 17."

Presidents

  • Valerian Gracias
    Valerian Gracias
    Valerian Gracias was an Indian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Bombay from 1950 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.-Biography:Valerian Gracias was born in Karachi to José and Carlota Gracias...

     (1958–1972)
  • Mar Joseph Parecattil (1972–1976)
  • Lawrence Picachy
    Lawrence Picachy
    Lawrence Trevor Picachy, was an Indian Jesuit priest, spiritual guide of Mother Teresa, and later Archbishop of Calcutta . He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1976....

    , S.J. (1976–1982)
  • Simon Pimenta
    Simon Pimenta
    Simon Pimenta is a Roman Catholic Cardinal and a retired Archbishop of Bombay .Pimenta was ordained on 21 December 1949. Before coming to Rome to study at the Pontifical College of St. Peter the Apostle, he served as assistant parish priest in Bombay and worked with the Bombay Curia...

     (1982–1988)
  • Benedict Varghese Gregorios Thangalathil, O.I.C. (1988–1989)
  • Alphonsus Mathias  1989 – 1994)
  • Joseph Powathil (1994–1998)
  • Alan Basil de Lastic (1998 – 20 June 2000)
  • Cyril Baselios Malancharuvil, O.I.C. (2000–2004)
  • Telesphore Toppo (12 January 2004 – 19 February 2008)
  • Mar Varkey Vithayathil, C. Ss. R. (19 February 2008 – 3 March 2010)
  • Oswald Gracias
    Oswald Gracias
    Oswald Gracias is a Goan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He serves as Archbishop of Bombay, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 October 2006, and was raised to the cardinalate in 2007...

     (4 March 2010 – )

Vice-presidents

Baselios Cleemis and George Punnakottil were elected as the vice-presidents of CBCI in March 2010.

External links

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