By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, Feb 8, 2025: Pope Francis on January 8 promoted Bishop Udumala Bala Showreddy of Warangal as the archbishop of Visakhapatnam in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
On the same day, the Pope a new bishop for Jalpaiguri, a diocese in the eastern state of West Bengal, a coadjutor bishop for Neyyattinkara in the southern state of Kerala and an auxiliary bishop for Shillong archdiocese in the northeastern Meghalaya state.
All these appointments were announced at 12 noon in Rome and its corresponding time of 4:30 pm in India.
Archbishop-elect Showreddy was born on June 18, 1954, in Ghanpur in Andhra Pradesh and was ordained a priest on February 20, 1979, for the diocese of Warangal.
He has served in several pastoral and administrative roles in Warangal before becoming its bishop in 2013. He also served as the deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.
He began his pastoral ministry as assistant priest at Dornakal, Warangal. He served as the parish priest at Produtur Ravinuthala, Cheruvumadaram.
He was the procurator at Bishop’s House, Fatimanagar in 1986. He was a Professor of Moral Theology at St. John’s Regional Seminary Hyderabad from 1994 to 2006. He served as the seminary rector during 1997-2006. He has a doctorate in Moral Theology from Alphonsianum Rome.
He also served as the apostolic administrator of Khammam diocese from September 2022 to April 2024.
The bishop-elect was born December 21, 1960, and had his minor seminary formation at St. John Mary Vianney Minor Seminary, Barasat, Kolkata, philosophical studies at the Papal Seminary, Pune and theological studies at the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome. He was ordained a priest on December 3, 1994, for Jalpaiguri
He has served as the director of the candidates’ house at Jalpaiguri, teacher at St. Ambrose Open School and the diocesan director Bible, Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue.
He served as the pastor of Shanti Rani Mongradangi parish for three years until 2021. The following year, he was appointed a professor of Biblical Theology at the Morning Star College. He has a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the same university where he studied theology.
He was born on January 27, 1962, and had minor seminary formation at St. Vincent Minor Seminary, Trivandrum. He studied philosophy and theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Alwaye. He was ordained a priest on December 23, 1987, for Neyyatinkara. He has a doctorate in Canon Law from Catholic University Louvain, Belgium.
Bishop-elect Laloo was born on June 16, 1976, at Laitlyngkot, Meghalaya, and was ordained a priest on April 30, 2006, for the Archdioceses of Shillong.
He served the archdiocese as assistant of St. Paul’s Church, Upper Shillong, administrator of Christ the King College, Shillong, dean of Studies at St. Paul’s Seminary, Shillong, principal of Divine Saviour Higher Secondary School, Laitumkhrah.