Bernard Blasius Moras

infobox bishopstyles
name=Bernard Moras
dipstyle=The Most Reverend
offstyle=Your Excellency
relstyle=Monsignor
deathstyle=not applicable |

Bernard Blasius Moras (born August 10, 1941) is an Indian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, currently serving as Archbishop of Bangalore.

Born in Kuppepadavu, Karnataka, he was ordained to the priesthood on December 6, 1967. During his priestly ministry, he was very involved with health care.

On November 30, 1996, Moras was appointed Bishop of Belgaum by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on February 25, 1997 from Simon Cardinal Pimenta, with Bishops Aloysius D'Souza and Ignatius Lobo serving as co-consecrators. The Bishop chose as his episcopal motto: "In Thee We Hope–Mary Our Mother."

Moras was later named Archbishop of Bangalore on July 22, 2004, being installed as such on the following September 17. The installation, attended by no less than three cardinals, was held under tightened securtiy, as Catholic Kannadigas have been insistent upon having a bishop from their own community to the point of violence [UCAN. [http://www.tgmmt.org/ucanews/0904/092004.htm Bangalore Archbishop Installed Without Incident Amid Enhanced Security] September 20, 2004] .

Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the pallium, a woolen garment reserved to metropolitan archbishops, upon him on June 29, 2005. In 2006, Moras condemned Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code" as "vicious" and "diabolic" [Catholic Online. [http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=19870 Catholic bishops, groups warn of ‘Da Vinci Code’ assault on beliefs, see it as teaching moment] May 17, 2006] . He called all Christians to boycott the film version, which he requested of the Indian film board to be banned from the country.

Archbishop Moras also chairs the Pastoral Commission for Health of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India and is the Ecclesiastical Advisor to the Catholic Health Association of India.

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmorasbb.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.bangalorearchdiocese.com/archbishopofbang.asp Archdiocese of Bangalore]
* [http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=1232 Interview with AsiaNews]

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