By Thomas Scaria

Bengaluru, Nov 7, 2022: The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on November 7 started their 35th general body meeting with the inaugural Mass presided over by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli at St John’s National Academy of Health Science in Bengaluru.

The nuncio also delivered the opening address on the same day.

The opening session saw CBCI president Cardinal Oswald Gracias giving the presidential address, and secretary general Archbishop Felix Machado presenting the report of the past four years.

The general body, the apex body of the Church in India, is addressing the theme, “Communion, Participation and Mission of the Catholic Church in India,” during the November 6-11 plenary.

More than 200 active and 64 retired bishops from l74 dioceses are attending the meet along with secretaries of the various CBCI offices.

The prelates will “introspect the efforts of the Church in India, as to how to journey together in order to collaborate in the nation building,” said a press release from the CBCI secretariat.

The CBCI office bearers met the press on November 6 to explain the dynamics of the program.

Although the bishops usually meet every two years, they could not come together for the past four years because of the Covid-19 and subsequent nationwide lockdowns.

Their last meeting was February 2-9, 2018, at the same venue, with the theme “I am with you always, even to the end of the ages.” As many as 184 bishops attended the last meeting.

The CBCI represents approximately 22 million Catholics in India belonging to Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Churches.

The Church in India dates back to 52 AD, when Apostle Saint Thomas, arrives on the Malabar Coast to preach the gospel.

Archbishop Machado told the press conference that the Church in India has been involved in “Nation building as an integrated community” of the country and it continues to do so.

“Today, the Catholic Church in India runs over 54,000 educational institutions, which impart education to nearly 60 million children and youth, and over 20,000 hospitals, clinics, dispensaries and other health care centers,” added the archbishop, who heads the Vasai diocese in Maharashtra state.

The Church is also involved in disaster and calamity relief as well as social work and it assists the poor in remote areas of the country through more than 60,000 priests and brothers, 125,000 nuns and thousands of people.

The bishops are also to discuss on the theme of “Synodality: The Call to be a Synodal Church. “ All the dioceses in the country have gone through the process of discussing Synodality from the grassroots level, the CBCI claims.

New ways have been discussed and are being implemented as to how all sections of the parish and diocese can be involved in walking together for one mission of Christ. Workshops too will be held which will give rise to the final statement of the Assembly where the Bishops will strive to implement in the coming two years.