By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, April 27, 2026: The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) accorded a warm farewell to Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, who concluded his mission after five years of service.
The April 23 gathering was hosted at the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi and drew senior Church leaders, ambassadors, and dignitaries.
Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa, President of the CCBI, expressed gratitude for Archbishop Girelli’s ministry, recalling his “dedicated service to the Church in India.”
He praised Girelli’s “concern for the poor” and his “sustained efforts to foster unity within the Church and in society.”
The farewell was attended by Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, Vice President of the CCBI; Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi; Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis of Trivandrum; Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of Faridabad; Archbishop Raphy Manjaly of Agra; more than 15 bishops; and Father Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General of the CCBI.
In his response, Archbishop Girelli voiced “sincere gratitude to the Indian hierarchy and Church leaders” for their support. He described his mission as “challenging and enriching,” and called the Church in India “vibrant and beautiful, marked by rich ritual traditions and deep cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity.”
As a gesture of appreciation, Cardinal Ferrão presented a memento, while Archbishop Machado and Archbishop Couto honored him with a traditional shawl. Father Alathara handed over a letter of gratitude on behalf of the Latin Church in India.
Archbishop Girelli departed India on April 24 to assume his new pontifical mission in Croatia.
(Photo supplied)