2011-01-13 13:18:39

Cardinal Telesphore Toppo Elected President of CCBI


(January 13, 2011) Indian Cardinal Telesphore Toppo has been elected as the new president of the Latin Rite Conference of Catholic Bishops in India known as the CCBI, during the plenary session held at Chennai South India. 71 year old Cardinal Toppo was appointed Bishop of Dumka in 1974 and has been the Archbishop of Ranchi since 1984. Pope John Paul II elevated him to the College of Cardinals in 2003. He has been the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of India from 2004 to 2008 and has been CCBI President from 2003 to 2005. Archbishop Philip Neri of Goa was elected as the vice-President and Bishop Vaghese Chakkalakal of Kannur as the secretary general. More than 120 bishops attended the January 6-12 event where the bishops were deliberating “Catechetical renewal, essential for a vibrant Church.” The bishops ended their plenary with a call for a catechetical renewal to counter corruption in the country. “Catechetical renewal is imperative in the context of the Church in India today,” said Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president of the CCBI. Widespread corruption and impropriety in all areas of life in India “not only indicates the lacuna in the education, but highlights the urgency of character formation,” he added. The bishops urged priests, Religious and the laity to grow in awareness of “our vocation to be catechists by our word and life.” A statement at the concluding day of the plenary stated that the bishops would make every effort to read the signs of the times in the Indian socio-cultural and multi-religious scenario and to become authentic and credible witnesses of faith in their lives. The CCBI is a National Episcopal Body that 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.







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