CBCI reschedules plenary assembly

October 14, 2013 - The plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) which had been scheduled from Feb. 19-26 in Palai, Kerala, has been anticipated because of a clash with an important meeting of cardinals with Pope Francis in Rome. In a letter to Indian bishops on Saturday, CBCI President Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay said the plenary assembly will take place February 5-12, as the meeting of the 8-member Council of Cardinals, of which he is a member, is being held later in February. The CBCI Standing Committee Meeting will be held on February 4. At the end of his first meeting of the Council of Cardinals, Oct. 1-3, the Pope scheduled their next meeting Dec. 3-5, and the third in February, which clashes with the CBCI meeting. Cardinal Gracias conveyed the Pope’s greetings to the Indian bishops, saying the 8 cardinals had “very refreshing meetings with the Holy Father.” “He has already fixed the dates of our next two meetings indicating that he wants us to continue working intensely,” Cardinal Gracias explained. (Source: CBCI)