Pope appoints new bishop in Dharmapuri

(January 13, 2013) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday appointed a new head to the diocese of Dharmapuri in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state. Auxiliary Bishop Lawrence Pius Dorairaj of Madras and Mylapore Archdiocese has been transferred to Dharmapuri as bishop. The 57-year old bishop takes over from Salesian Bishop Joseph Anthony Irudayaraj, who stepped down on reaching the retirement age of 75. Bishop Irudayaraj has served the diocese since its creation in 1997. Bishop Dorairaj was ordained a priest in 1981 and appointed auxiliary bishop of Madras and Mylapore in 1998. Dharmapuri, a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore, has over 54 thousand Catholics out of total population of some 3 million.