New Kohima bishop takes charge on 8 September

Sept. 06, 2011: Fr. James Thoppil will be ordained as the Bishop of Kohima diocese on September 8. The Vatican had appointed the priest to the post on June 16 this year.
Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and other dignitaries will attend the ordination ceremony of 52-year-old father Thoppil. The bishop-elect is currently the rector of Oriens Theological College in Shillong, the capital of neighboring Meghalaya state.
The diocese of Kohima had remained vacant for nearly two years after the resignation of Bishop Jose Mukala in October 2009 on health grounds.
Fr. Thoppil will become the third prelate of the diocese since its establishment in 1980. Kohima now has more than 58,000 Catholics among a population of 1.9 million.