Pope appoints new Vicar Apostolic of Nepal

April 25, 2014 - Pope Francis on Friday appointed a new Vicar Apostolic in Nepal. Fr. Paul Simick, the parish priest of the cathedral parish of the Indian diocese of Darjeeling, is the new Vicar Apostolic, replacing 76-year old Jesuit Bishop Anthony Francis Sharma, who has retired. Fifty-year old Fr. Simick was born in Gitdubling, Darjeeling, studied philosophy and theology at the Morning Star Regional Seminary, Barrackpore, Kolkata, and later obtained a Master’s degree in English. After his priestly ordination on 9 April 1992 he served as parish priest of St. Maurice Parish, Suruk, Darjeeling, until 1995, when he was sent to Rome for a licentiate and doctorate in Biblical theology from the Pontifical Urban University. On his return he taught scripture at the Barrackpore regional seminary, and served in parishes and schools.

The Catholic Church of Nepal as it is today took shape under now retired Bishop Sharma, a native of Kathmandu. Pope John Paul appointed him Superior of Nepal in 1984, and Prefect of Nepal in 1996. On Nepal being raised to the rank of Apostolic Vicariate in 2007, Msgr. Sharma was appointed its first Vicar Apostolic, thus becoming the nation’s first bishop. The Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, which is not a diocese as yet, has an area of over 147, 000 sqkm. Catholics number nearly 8000 out of a population of more than 28.5 million, and are served by 71 priests and 170 sisters in 8 parishes.