Pope appoints new bishop to Rajshahi Diocese, Bangladesh

(Jan. 15, 2007) Pope Benedict XVI on Monday appointed a new bishop to the diocese of Rajshahi in Bangladesh. Fr. Gervas Rozario, the administrator of the diocese will be its new bishop. He succeeds bishop Paulinus Costa who was transfer to Dhaka archdiocese in September, 2005. Rajshahi is a relatively new diocese created by Pope John Paul in 1990. Close to the Indian border in northwest Bangladesh, the diocese has an area of some 18,000 sqkm with a population of 15 million, of whom over 45 thousand are Catholics. Fr. Gervas Rozario was born in 1951 at Stiangaccha, in Rajshahi diocese. After his primary and secondary studies in his diocese he entered St. Joseph’s intermediary seminary of Ramna, Dhaka, while pursuing his graduate studies at Notre Dame College. After having completed his philosophy and theology from the national Major Seminary of Dhaka, he was ordained priest in 1980. His first served in Dinajpur diocese then in Rajshahi after its creation in May 1990. Besides serving as parish priest in various parishes he was also rector of the intermediate seminary of Suihari in Dinajpur, the director of the diocese’s youth and vocation programme. After obtaining a degree in moral theology from Rome’s Alphonsianum University in 1991, he was appointed vice-rector of the Dhaka’s intermediate seminary as well as professor at the major seminary. Later he became the rector of the major seminary and member of Caritas Bangladesh.