PRESS RELEASE
Catholic Bishops of India gathers to accomplish the mission of Christ
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is the Apex Body of the
Catholic Church in India, which has approximately 22 million adherents in India.
The CBCI is made of 174 Ecclesiastical jurisdictions, with over 200 active Bishops
and 64 retired Bishops. The Catholic Church in India has been present in India for
over 2000 years since the Birth of Christianity with the advent of Apostle Thomas
to India in the first century after Christ.
Since then, it has been involved in Nation building as an integrated community of
our Nation and it continues to do that. Today, the Catholic Church in India runs
over 54,000 educational institutions, which impart education to nearly 6 crore
children and youth, and over 20 thousand hospitals, clinics, dispensaries and other
health care centres. It also involved in disaster and calamity relief as well as social
work and assistance to the poor in very remote areas of the country through the
services of over 60,000 priests, 90,000 sisters and thousands of laymen and
Women.
The General Body Meeting is held every 2 years; but due to Covid we could not
hold the meting earlier. The CBCI is pleased to announce its 35th General Body
Meeting at St. John's, Bengaluru, from 6th to 11th November 2022.
The Assembly of over 200 Bishops will discuss on the Theme of "Synodality: The
Call to be a Synodal Church ". All the dioceses in the country have gone through
the process of discussing Synodality from the grass root level. New ways have
been discussed and are being implemented as to how all sections of the parish and
diocese can be involved in walking together for one mission of Christ. Workshops
too will be held which will give rise to the final statement of the Assembly where
the Bishops will strive to implement in the coming two years.
We place into the Lord's hands this General Body Meeting and pray that the fruits
of the week-long deliberations may inspire us to continue to build bridges with all,
first by understanding the other person and then walking along with him/ her,
irrespective of his/ her caste, creed, and color.
Assuring all the citizens of India that the Catholic Church in India continues to live
the gospel values of peace, joy, compassion and harmony and work for the whole
human fraternity.
Archbishop Felix Machado
Secretary General, CBCI
35th CBCI General Body Meeting
St John's, Bengaluru, India
6th November, 2022
(Note: Text extracted from image above.)
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