Five Indians among new bishops who complete formation course

By Kampan Chinnam

Guwahati, Sept. 22, 2024: Five bishops from northeastern India were among 267 newly appointed prelates from five continents who successfully completed a week-long formation course at the Vatican.

The program focused on fostering communion within the universal Church, says a message Bishop Benny Varghese Edathattel of Itanagar shared with the Arunachal Pradesh Catholic Association.

Other bishops who attended the September 15-22 course were Archbishop of Imphal Linus Neli of Imphal, Bishops Wilbert Marwein of Nongstoin, Ferdinand Dkhar of Jowai and Auxiliary Bishop Joachim Walder of Aizawl.

Organized by the Roman Curia, this course marked the first occasion for joint activities involving bishops from both the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for Bishops.

The course “Living the Episcopal Mission in a Synodal Church” was hosted by the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Pontifical College of St. Peter, while the Dicastery for Bishops conducted sessions at the Pontifical College of St. Paul.

The Dicastery for Evangelization hosted 114 participants, while the Dicastery for Bishops brought together 153 bishops from 46 countries, including 25 Eastern-rite bishops and five newly appointed bishops serving in the Roman Curia.

The joint sessions began on September 17, focusing on the role of the Holy See in a globalized world, ending with a speech by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell on the apostolate of the laity.

Throughout the week, each group participated in discussions on various topics.

The course started September 16 with a talk by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization (formerly the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) and the president of Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious.

Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the Missionary Dicastery, and Archbishop Emilio Nappa, deputy secretary of the Missionary Dicastery, also addressed the participants on the same day.

A highlight of the program was an audience with Pope Francis. The bishops attending the Dicastery for Bishops met the Pope on September 19, while those in the Dicastery for Evangelization had their audience two days later.

Archbishop Linus Neli of Imphal told Matters India that the meetings symbolized the communion uniting the universal Church and fostered connections between local Churches.

During the September 21 audience, Bishop Edathattel presented Pope Francis with a traditional Nyishi headgear, known as Pudum/Bhopa, from his diocese. This gesture was commended by G. Tallum, a representative of the Nyishi tribe. “Bishop Benny is doing great work in recognizing our traditional dress in the Vatican City,” he told Matters India.

Bishop Edathattel, in his message, expressed gratitude for meeting the Pope and conveyed the prayers and best wishes of his diocese.

Bishop Dkhar said the formation course has helped strengthen bonds among the bishops and enriched their missionary work, as they strive to positively impact the lives of people in the northeastern states of India.