India: New Bishop for Adilabad eparchy of the Syro-Malabar Church

(Vatican Radio) The Holy Father has approved the election of Rev. Dr. Antony Prince Panengaden, until now vicar general of the Eparchy of Adilabad and pastor of the Cathedral Parish, as the Bishop of the same eparchy of the Syro-Malabar Church, in India.

The approval follows the Holy Father’s acceptance of the resignation presented by Mons. Joseph Kunnath, C.M.I. from the pastoral governance of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Adilabad, according to canon 210 §§ 1-2 of the Code of Canon law of the Oriental  Churches.

Born on May 13, 1976 at Arimpur in the Archeparchy of Trichur, Fr. Panengaden  entered the Congregation of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate. After a few years of training, before the profession, he went to the Eparchy of Adilabad. After completing his studies in philosophy at the Institute of Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore and theology at the Major Seminary Ruhalaya, Ujjain, he was ordained a priest on 25 April 2007.

Sent to Rome for his studies, he obtained a doctorate in biblical theology at the Pontifical Urbanian University. In addition to various classical languages, in Malayalam and English, he speaks Italian, German and Telugu.

Fr. Panengaden began his pastoral ministry in the Cathedral parish and mission of Saligaon. Currently, he is the Vicar General of the eparchy and the parish priest of the Cathedral at Adilabad.