Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangalore
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic
Metropolitan
Archdiocese
of Bangalore
is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese
of the Roman Catholic Church
in India
. It was erected as the Diocese of Bangalore on February 13, 1940 by Pope Pius XII
, and elevated to the rank of a metropolitan archdiocese
on September 19, 1953, with the suffragan sees
of Belgaum, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Gulbarga, Karwar, Mangalore, Mysore, and Shimoga.
The archdiocese's motherchurch
and thus seat of its archbishop is the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral; Bangalore also houses St. Mary's Basilica
. The current Archbishop of Bangalore is His Excellency
Bernard Blasius Moras
, having been appointed by Pope John Paul II
on July 22, 2004.
Karnataka°N date=December 2010°W
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
Archdiocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was erected as the Diocese of Bangalore on February 13, 1940 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, and elevated to the rank of a metropolitan archdiocese
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
on September 19, 1953, with the suffragan sees
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
of Belgaum, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Gulbarga, Karwar, Mangalore, Mysore, and Shimoga.
The archdiocese's motherchurch
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...
and thus seat of its archbishop is the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral; Bangalore also houses St. Mary's Basilica
St. Mary's Basilica, Bangalore
St. Mary's Basilica is a basilica located in the Archdiocese of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the oldest church in Bangalore and is the only church in the state that has been elevated to the status of a minor basilica. It is famous for the festivities held during the St...
. The current Archbishop of Bangalore is His Excellency
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.Usually, people styled "Excellency" are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank .It is...
Bernard Blasius Moras
Bernard Blasius Moras
Bernard Blasius Moras is an Indian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, currently serving as Archbishop of Bangalore.Born in Kuppepadavu, Mangalore, Karnataka, he was ordained to the priesthood on December 6, 1967...
, having been appointed by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on July 22, 2004.
List of bishops and archbishops of Bangalore
- Maurice-Bernard-Benoit-Joseph Despatures, MEPParis Foreign Missions SocietyThe Society of Foreign Missions of Paris is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious order, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons dedicated to missionary work in foreign lands....
(1940 - 1942) - Thomas Pothacamury (1942 - 1968)
- Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy (1968 - 1971)
- Packiam Arokiaswamy (1971 - 1986)
- Alphonsus Mathias (1986 - 1998)
- Ignatius Paul Pinto (1998 - 2004)
- Bernard Blasius MorasBernard Blasius MorasBernard Blasius Moras is an Indian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, currently serving as Archbishop of Bangalore.Born in Kuppepadavu, Mangalore, Karnataka, he was ordained to the priesthood on December 6, 1967...
(2004–present)
External links
Karnataka°N date=December 2010°W