CBCI General Body Meeting Feb. 1-8

(January 30, 2012) The 30th General Body Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) is starting on Wednesday at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka state. "The Church’s Role for a Better India" is the theme of the Feb. 1-8 meeting, which is expected be attended by over 160 bishops of India. CBCI'’s General Body Meeting is held every two years and Church leaders take up a particular theme of relevance to the Church and nation. Others who will attend the meeting to discuss various issues of importance are the Secretaries of the CBCI Offices, Directors of National Centers, Representatives of the Catholic Council of India (CCI) and of the Conference of Religious of India (CRI). The CBCI has 216 member Bishops from the Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara ecclesial bodies. Among these are 164 heads of dioceses of which 3 are Cardinals, 27 Archbishops and 48 Retired Bishops. The CBCI is the 4th largest bishops’ conference in the world catering to some 18 million Christians. Among those who will address the general body meeting are Cardinal Peter Turkson, the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Navin Chawla, former Chief Election Commissioner of India.