Catholic Bishops' Conference of India

Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI)
Legal status	Civil nonprofit
Purpose/focus	To support the ministry of bishops
Main organ	Conference
Website	Official CBCI webpage

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of India. It was first convened in September 1944, in Madras (now Chennai). Currently (2007) the CBCI has 212 members and 38 honorary members, and is headquartered in New Delhi, the capital of India. The CBCI reviews the position of the Church in India, 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:

"Pope Benedict XVI 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, 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 June 17."^[1]

Presidents

• Valerian Gracias (1958–1972)
• Mar Joseph Parecattil (1972–1976)
• Lawrence Picachy, S.J. (1976–1982)
• Simon Pimenta (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 (4 March 2010 – )^[2]

Vice-presidents

Baselios Cleemis and George Punnakottil were elected as the vice-presidents of CBCI in March 2010.^[2]

See also

• Catholic Church in India

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ ^{a b} "CBCI Elects Cardinal Oswald Gracias as New President". Daijiworld Media. 4 March 2010. http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=73247&n_tit=CBCI+Elects+Cardinal+Oswald+Gracias+as+New+President. Retrieved 2010-03-10. 

External links

• CBCI official website
• CBCI picture gallery
• News Site of the Catholic Bishop's Conference
• CBCI webpage. GCatholic website
• International Meeting of Bishops’ Conferences webpage. GCatholic.com website
• Episcopal Conferences