By Jose Kavi
New Delhi: Pope Francis on June 29 appointed bishops for Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Port Blair that covers the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Father Savarimuthu Arokiaraj is the new bishop of Tiruchirappalli while Father Visuvasam Selvaraj, the Port Blair prelate.
Both the appointments were announced at 12 noon Rome time.
Father Arokiaraj, 67, a priest of Tiruchirappalli. He is currently the rector and parish priest of Holy Redeemer’s Basilica, Tiruchirappalli, according to a press release from Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.
Soon after his ordination, he was appointed the assistant parish of priest of St. Joseph’s Church, Dindigul. The same year, he was made the parish priest of Ayyampatty, a post he held until 1986.
Bishop-elect Arokiaraj then served as the parish priest at P. Udayapatty for a year. He was the secretary of the Diocesan Liturgy Commission from 1988 to 1991. He was promoted as the regional secretary for the Liturgy Commission of Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council and he held the post until 1994.
He then went for higher studies in France. On his return in 2002, he was reappointed secretary of the Tamil Nadu bishops’ liturgy commission.
He served as the diocesan chancellor and parish priest of Subramaniapuram from 2009 to 2012; professor of Liturgy at St. Paul’s Seminary, Tiruchirappalli for three years from 2012. He then served as the parish priest of the Cathedral Church, Tiruchirappalli until 2016.
His next assignment was as the rector of St. Paul’s Seminary, Tiruchirappalli, a post he held until 2019.
The diocese of Tiruchirapalli became vacant after the retirement of Bishop Antony Devotta on July 14, 2018. Bishop Devotta died October 15, 20219.
The diocese of Tiruchirappalli comprises parts of three civil districts of Tamil Nadu. It has 73 parishes grouped into five vicariates: Vicariate of Puthur, Crawford, Ponmalai, Keeranur and Manaparai.
Bishop-elect Selvaraj, 55, was serving as the administrator of Port Blair diocese since 2019, said Father Alathara in another press note.
Port Blair’s first Bishop Aleixo das Neves Dias, a member of the Pilar Society, resigned on January 5, 2019.
Bishop-elect Selvaraj was born on January 4, 1966, in Raja Anna Malaipuram, in the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore. He attended the diocesan minor seminary in Santhome, Madras, studied Philosophy at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Poonamallee, Chennai and Theology at St. Albert’s College, Ranchi.
He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Port Blair on May 8, 1994.
He began his priestly life as parish priest of the Cathedral, Port Blair until 1995. He was a diocesan consulter between 1994 and1998.
He served as the diocesan procurator for three years from 1995. He was then made the assistant parish priest of Mayabunder, a post he held for a year.
He also served as the director of Social Service, procurator, In-charge of projects; in-charge of formation, chaplain at St. Joseph’s Church, Dairy Farm; in-charge of Sagritara Press; Chaplain of the Tamil community, and diocesan consulter.
My heartiest congratulations to our newly elected Bishop Fr. Savarimuthu Arockiaraj. Vatican has made a good selection to give him as our Bishop. I have one request to him. I have been fighting in every forum possible in the past for this. Can you make this diocese with casteless priests. Caste should be routed out of every priest. Caste breakes the unity among priests, dicoese and catholic church. I earnestly pray God may bless you with good health and the Holy Spirit guide you in every way for the growth of our catholic community.
Vatican do exercise only appointing bishops. Vatican is helpless in getting done the real duty of a bishop from these appointed ones. Usually they become part of local politics and started cooperate even with dirty manners in land purchase, bribing for schools , collages, hospitals and punish persons who are threat to their evil ways etc. Many elite laypeople in the church are inactive and priests and nuns are silenced by these so called bishops for their favoritism, nepotism etc.
Timely transfer of bishops will end issues of casteism, nepotism, favoritism, Gundagiri (they hide as they are in the same chair for ever). Let bishop’s have universal fatherhood, let them refresh canon law, let diocese Quria be filled with qualified and morally sound persons, let them listen to nuncio and let the office if nuncio be expanded with researchers and needed team members. let them be like the Bishop with qualities of real bishop.
In Indian contaxt collectors remain great besides they are transferred as head of a district with huge responsibilities as administrators and judiciary. Because of this transfer even secular state remain disciplined under system. Their post is safe with high mechanism. I hope to see all bishops remain refreshed in 10 years with new diocese. Meanwhile at least they can transfer 3/4times each priest of his diocese for his discernment.
Congratulations to Bishop elect Savarimuthu Arockiaraj of Trichy. May God bless you and the Diocese of TIRUCHIRAPPALLI abundantly.
It defies comprehension how the Vatican takes 2-3 years for appointing a bishop when it already knows that the incumbent will complete 75 years of age at a particular date. It would be better to appoint a co-adjutor with right of succession six months prior to the retirement of the incumbent. That would ensure a smooth transition.
Good news.
Congrats. Prayers.
Hope other vacant dioceses also will get their bishops soon.