By Matters India Reporter
Bangalore, Oct 7, 2023: Pope Francis on October 6 appointed Father Linus Neli as Archbishop of Imphal that covers the entire northeastern Indian state of Manipur.
The 66-year-old archbishop-elect is currently the judicial vicar of the archdiocese.
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Dominic Lumon from the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Imphal on completing 75 years, the retirement age for Catholic bishops.
Th archbishop-elect was born on April 26, 1957, in Imphal. He studied philosophy at Christ the King College in Shillong and theology at the Papal Seminary in Pune.
He obtained a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University of Rome, according to a press statement from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.
He was ordained a priest on December 20, 1984, for the Archdiocese of Imphal.
Father Neli served the minor seminary of Imphal for one year in 1985 before becoming th secretary to the Archbishop of Imphal,
In 1988, he served as the deputy parish priest of Sacred Heart in Hundung for two years. He was the chancellor and judicial vicar of Imphal for four years from 1994.
He became the principal of the Sacred Heart Institute in Hundung in 1998 and left it in 2004 to become associate director at St. John’s Medical College Hospital in Bangalore.
After three years, he was appointed the vicar general of Imphal, a post held for three years. He then served as the parish priest of Mary Help of Christians in Ukhrul (2010-2013).
He became the national director of Caritas India from 2013 to 2014.
He served as the rector of Oriens Theological College in Shillong (2014-2017); Parish Priest and Principal of the San Pietro Institute in Monsang Pantha (2016-2019); since 2019 so far, Director of the Archdiocesan Retreat Center and Judicial Vicar of the Metropolitan Court of Imphal.