CCBI appoints Fr Nigel Barrett as Public Relations Officer

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) has announced the appointment of Fr. Nigel Barrett (56), from the Archdiocese of Bombay, as its new Public Relations Officer (PRO). The decision to appoint Fr Barrett to this critical role was made during the CCBI’s Executive Committee meeting in Bangalore on May 6-7, 2025. The announcement reflects a commitment by the Catholic Church in India to deepen dialogue and communication with citizens of India and the world.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) is the episcopal conference of the Latin Catholic bishops of India. It coordinates the Church's activities in India, fosters unity among bishops and promotes the spiritual welfare of the Catholic faithful.

Fr. Barrett is already well known to the press for his ability to articulate the positions and messages of church leaders with clarity and authority. He currently serves as the Director of Communications for Bombay's Archdiocese, where he directly oversees public messaging for one of India's largest archdioceses. In this capacity, he also functions as the Spokesperson for Archbishop John Rodrigues and Cardinal Oswald Gracias.

Fr. Barrett has spent more than a decade advancing traditional and digital communication initiatives within the Church in Mumbai. As he continues to do at the Archdiocese of Bombay, he will now be responsible for cultivating positive relationships with diverse media outlets for the CCBI and will work to ensure that the CCBI’s mission and activities are presented fairly, accurately and impactfully to the broader public. His appointment indicates that the CCBI continues to modernize its outreach to promote social advocacy and interfaith dialogue across India.

Fr. Nigel Barrett is a well-known communications expert. He is a gifted speaker and a sought-after lecturer and preacher, with decades of experience in digital and audio-visual communications within the Church and beyond. His prior experience in similar positions testifies to his expertise in navigating the complexities of modern media environments. As CEO for the Archdiocese of Mumbai Charitable Foundation (AMCF), Fr. Barrett directs the work of the Catholic Communication Centre (CCC). The CCC spearheads content creation, platform development, and social strategy to engage diverse audiences in audio, video, print, and digital media for the entire Archdiocese. As CEO, Fr. Barrett drives key initiatives to modernize the Archdiocese of Bombay’s communication outreach and to build its digital presence. He heads a data analysis cell that analyses demographics and urban migration patterns in parishes and advises the Archdiocese on urban development trends to facilitate decision-making. Most recently, he drafted protocols for the live streaming of the Eucharist in Archdioceses, authored a Handbook on communication cells and wrote a white paper on the use of social media that was presented to the CCBI in May 2025.

On the international stage, Fr. Barrett has served as the Technical Coordinator and Communications Strategist for the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC50) and for the Continental Stage of the Synod, managing complex communication logistics and strategies for these global ecclesiastical events.

Ordained on April 18, 1998, Fr. Barrett's journey is grounded in his priestly pastoral vocation. He was the Parish Priest at Rosary Church until recently and has just been posted to the same role at St Andrew’s Church. He has conducted workshops on the pastoral uses of media across India. As a member of the National Team of the CCBI Media Apostolate and Secretary of the Western Region Social and Pastoral Commission, Fr. Barrett plays a key role in broader Church initiatives and policy at regional and national levels. A popular youth leader, he has piloted a mentorship initiative to empower Christian youth to pursue influential civil services and armed forces roles and he mentors young adults to become ethical community leaders. He has been a member of the visiting faculty at St. Pius Seminary College since 2000, where he has helped shape a new generation of priests, and he is a lecturer in development communication at Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work.

His vocation, combined with his vast communication experience, uniquely equips Fr. Barrett to intertwine secular messaging strategies, the Church’s sacred mission and the lived realities of the faithful.

Contact Information Media Relations: Press Office, Email: archdiocesesofbombay@gmail.com Catholic Communication Centre