While Cardinal Gracias (Mumbai) was re-elected president of CCBI at its ongoing 27th Plenary Assembly in Bangalore, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao (Vice President) and Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal (Secretary General) of Calicut were also re-elected to the national Episcopal body of the Latin Catholic Bishops.
One hundred and forty bishops from 131 Latin Rite dioceses conducted their Plenary Assembly from February 3 to 9, on the theme ‘Liturgy and Life’ and decided to keep the same officials at the leadership of CCBI.
Cardinal Gracias, who traces his roots to Orlim (Salcete), is also president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) and one of eight members of the Council of the Cardinal Advisers to Pope Francis.
The CCBI is the largest Catholic bishops’ conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world, after Brazil, Italy and the US. The CCBI along with the eastern-rite Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Catholic Churches of India form the apex body of the Catholic Church in India known as the Catholic Bishops Conference of India.
