Pope appoints new archbishop for Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar

(February 11, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday appointed a new archbishop to head the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. The Holy Father nominated Divine Word Bishop John Barwa of Rourkela, Orissa, as the new Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, succeeding Divine Word Archbishop Raphael Cheenath who has stepped down on having reached the retirement age of 75 in 2009. 55-year old Bishop Barwa was born in Gaibira, on June 1, 1955. He became a member of the Society of the Divine Word in 1984 and the following year was ordained priest. In 2006 he was appointed Coadjutor bishop of Rourkela and in 2009 succeeded Bishop Alphonse Bilung, the first bishop of Rourkela. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar has retired after heading Orissa’s only archdiocese for 25 years. The Catholic Church of Orissa is passing through one of its most trying times with anti-Christian violence on the surge. The worst violence it faced was in 2008.