By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru, Feb 2, 2022: Pope Francis on February 2 appointed Monsignor Thomas J Netto as the new head of the Trivandrum Latin rite archdiocese.
The Pope has also accepted the resignation of Archbishop M Calist Soosa Pakiam, who headed the archdiocese since February 2, 1990.
These details were made public at noon time in Rome, says a press release from Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in India, the national body for Latin rite bishop in the country.
Bishop-elect Netto is a priest of the Trivandrum archdiocese and was serving as the episcopal vicar and coordinator of ministries at the time of his appointment.
He was born December 29, 1964, in Puthiyathura in Trivandrum archdiocese. After attending St. Vincent’s Minor Seminary in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala state, he studied Philosophy at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Carmelgiri, and Theology at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Mangalapuzha, Alwaye. He was ordained a priest December 19, 1989, for the same Archdiocese.
He holds an MA in Sociology from the University of Kerala and, in 1999 he obtained a doctorate in Dogmatic Theology (Ecclesiology) from the Pontificia Università Urbaniana, Rome.
He served the archdiocese as the assistant priest at Peringamala (1990-1991) and Palayam (1991-1995).
He was appointed executive secretary for Ecumenism and Dialogue (1994-1995). After his studies in Rome, he appointed parish priest in Pettah (1999-2003), and executive secretary of the Basic Christian Community (2000-2004).
He served as the rector of St. Vincent’s Minor Seminary, Thiruvananthapuram for seven years from 2003. He then returned to pastoral duties taking over as the parish priest of Thope while serving as the coordinator of ministries in the archdiocese.
Bishop-elect Netto served as the episcopal vicar for ministries for three years from 2014, and then parish priest of St. Augustine Church, Murukumpuzha and Editor of the Diocesan Magazine for four years.