Bangalore: Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop George Antonysamy, Vice President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, as one of the members of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples on November 17.

The congregation oversees the work of the Catholic Church in most of the dioceses in Africa, Asia, and Oceania, which is around one-third of the world’s 4,000 dioceses. At present, the congregation is headed by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle.

Tagle is only the second Asian to hold that post, with the other being the Indian cardinal and Holy See diplomat, Ivan Dias who served from 2006 to 2011.

Archbishop Antonysamy (68) was born on February 15, 1952, in Trichy, Tamilnadu. He completed theology studies from Urban University, Rome and was ordained a priest on November 19, 1980, in Trichy, said Fr Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General, CCBI.

After one year as assistant parish priest at the Holy Redeemer’s Minor Basilica, Trichy, he was sent to Rome for higher studies in Pontifical Ecclesial Academy.

In 2002, Pope St. John Paul II appointed him as the charge d’affaires of the Vatican embassy in Jordan.

On August 4, 2005, he was appointed as titular Archbishop of Sulci in Sardinia, Italy, by Pope Benedict XVI and had his episcopal ordination on September 21, 2005, in Trichy.

He was simultaneously appointed as the apostolic nuncio to Gambia, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, an office which he holds until now. At the age of 60, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed him as the Archbishop of Madras and Mylapore on November 21, 2012.

He was elected as the Vice President of the CCBI at the 29 Plenary Assembly held in 2017 at Bhopal.

In 2019 he was re-elected as the Vice President at the 31 Plenary Assembly held at Chingleput, Tamilnadu. He was the former Chairman of the CCBI Commission for Canon Law and Legislative Texts from 2015 to 2019.

He is currently the Chairman of the St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore. He is a priest for 39 years and a Bishop for 15 years.

The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples is one of the big offices in the Vatican.

In 1622 Pope Gregory XV established it as the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide). However, Pope Paul VI changed its name to the current one in 1967.

Its task is for “the transmission and dissemination of the faith throughout the whole world,” with specific responsibility for coordinating and guiding the church’s diverse missionary efforts and initiatives. It promotes and trains local clergy and hierarchies, encouraging new missionary institutes and providing material assistance for the church’s missionary work.

It also plays a key role in the selection of candidates to be bishops in the mission dioceses.