Resignation of archbishop of Visakhapatnam, India
Resignation of bishop of Aurangabad, India
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Indore, India
Appointment of bishop of Purnea, India
Appointment of bishop of Nalgonda, India
Appointment of bishop of Khandwa, India
Appointment of bishop of Khammam, India
Appointment of members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints
Appointment of consultors of the General Secretariat of the Synod
Resignation of archbishop of Visakhapatnam, India
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Visakhapatnam, India, presented by Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu.
Resignation of bishop of Aurangabad, India
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Aurangabad, India, presented by Bishop Ambrose Rebello.
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Indore, India
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Indore, India, presented by Bishop Chacko Thottumarickal, S.V.D.
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Thomas Mathew Kuttimackal, of the clergy of the diocese of Indore, India, until now parish priest of Indore Cathedral, as bishop of the same diocese.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Thomas Mathew Kuttimackal was born on 25 February 1962 in Kalloorkad, Kerala, in the diocese of Kothamangalam. He studied philosophy and theology at Khrist Premalaya Philosophate and Theologate Seminary in Bhopal.
He was ordained a priest on 25 November 1987 for the diocese of Indore.
He has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of Indore Cathedral (1987-1990), deputy parish priest in Jhabua (1990-1992), deputy director (1992-1998) and director of a school in Indore (1998-20029, vice rector of the minor seminary in Jhabua (2002-2004), director of a diocesan school (2004-2009), parish priest in Dewas (2009-2015), parish priest and dean of Dewas (2015-2021) and, since 2021, parish priest of Indore Cathedral.
Appointment of bishop of Purnea, India
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Francis Tirkey, of the clergy of the diocese of Purnea, India, until now director of the Social Service Centre of Purnea, as bishop of the same diocese.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Francis Tirkey was born on 24 July 1961 in Kolodiah. After studying philosophy at Saint Albert’s College in Ranchi, and theology at Saint Joseph’s Interdiocesan Seminary in Mangalore, he was awarded a diploma in sciences of social services from the Coady International Institute in Halifax, Canada.
He was ordained a priest on 17 May 1993 for the clergy of Dumka, incardinated in the diocese of Purnea after the division of the dioceses.
After ordination, he first held the offices of deputy parish priest in Tinpahar, diocese of Dumka (1993-1994) and administrator of the Social Development Centre of Dumka (1994-1997). He studied at Saint Xavier’s College of Social Service in Ranchi (1998-1999). Since 1999, he has served as director of the Social Service Centre of Purnea, diocesan administrator of Purnea (2004-2007), vicar general of Purnea (2007-2021), head of the Working Commission for ST/SC (Scheduled Tribe/Caste) and public relations officer of the diocese of Purnea (since 2007), head of seminarians (since 2013) and since 2015, head of social communications.
Appointment of bishop of Nalgonda, India
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Fr. Karnam Dhaman Kumar, M.S.F.S. (Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales d’Annecy), until now parish priest of S. Bartolomäus in Münster and delegate superior of the M.S.F.S. Missionaries in Germany, as bishop of the diocese of Nalgonda, India.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Karnam Dhaman Kumar, M.S.F.S., was born on 16 November 1963 in Vijayanagaram, in the archdiocese of Visakhapatnam, in the State of Andhra Pradesh. After his novitiate in the M.S.F.S. Congregation at the Salesianum in Visakhapatnam, he studied philosophy at Suvidya College in Bangalore and theology at the Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth in Pune.
He gave his perpetual vows on 3 December 1989, and was ordained a priest on 17 October 1990.
He has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of the Mission, Elakathuruthy (1991-1993), parish priest of Chinnamanayunikota (1993-1995), rector of the Fransalian Vidya Jyothi Minor Seminary, diocese of Eluru (1995-1998), head of the Saint Francis de Sales School, diocese of Eluru (1998-2000), rector of the Saint Pius Seminary and administrator of the Saint Pius School (2000-2010), chaplain of S. Gertrudis, Horstmar and S. Cosman et Damian, Horstmar-Laer, diocese of Münster, Germany (2000-2012), rector of the Saint Francis de Sales Theology Study House, diocese of Eluru (2012-2013), provincial counsellor of the M.S.F.S. province in Visakhapatnam (2013-2016), head of the Saint Francis de Sales School, Shantinagar, archdiocese of Hyderabad (2016-2017), parish coadjutor of S. Gertrudis, Horstmar, diocese of Münster, Germany (2017-2020), delegate superior of the M.S.F.S. province in Germany (since 2019) and, since 2020, parish priest of S. Bartolomäus, diocese of Münster, Germany.
Appointment of bishop of Khandwa, India
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Augustine Madathikunnel, until now administrator of the diocese of Khandwa, India, as bishop of the same diocese.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Augustine Madathikunnel was born on 9 July 1983 in Koolivaya, Kerala, in the diocese of Mananthavady. He studied philosophy and theology at Saint Charles Seminary in Nagpur and was ordained a priest on 18 April 1994 for the diocese of Khandwa.
After ordination, he first held the offices of deputy parish priest in Sirpur (1994-1996), secretary to the bishop and teacher at Saint Thomas School (1996-1997). He was awarded a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy of Rome (1997-1999) and went on to serve as secretary to the bishop (1999-2000), rector of the Saint Pius Seminary and administrator of the Saint Pius School (2000-2010), secretary to the bishop and diocesan bursar (2010-2018), parish priest of Saint Anne (2018-2021) and diocesan administrator of Khandwa (since 2021).
Appointment of bishop of Khammam, India
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Prakash Sagili of the clergy of Cuddapah, until now parish priest of Saint John Bosco in Chittor and coordinator of the CCBI Health Apostolate, as bishop of Khammam, India.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Prakash Sagili was born on 2 January 1957. After attending Saint Peter’s Minor Seminary in Cuddapah and the Christ the King Seminary in Vijayawada, he continued his formation at the Sacred Heart Seminary of Poonamallee, Chennai.
He was ordained a priest on 25 April 1984.
After ordination, he served as deputy parish priest in Badvel (1984), director of the Youth and Pastoral Centre (1985-1987), parish priest in Mydukur and secretary of the Multipurpose Social Service Society (1986), regional youth director, Andhra Pradesh (1987-1993), parish priest in Proumamilla (1993-1995), national director of the Youth Movement India (1995-2001), director of the Chittoor Multipurpose Social Service Society (2001-2003), vicar general of Cuddapeh and parish priest of the Arogyamatha Shrine (2002-2007); and director of Saint John’s Hospital, Bangalore (2008-2011). He was awarded a doctorate in sociology from Shri Venkateswara University Thirupathi (2013) and went on to hold the roles of parish priest in Sivadi (2011-2015) and of the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Cuddapah (2015-2020), parish priest of Saint John Bosco in Chittoor (since 2020) and, since 2021, coordinator of the CCBI Health Apostolate.
Appointment of members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints
The Holy Father has appointed the following as members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints: His Eminence Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J., prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue; His Eminence Cardinal Paul Emil Tscherrig, apostolic nuncio to Italy and the Republic of San Marino; Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, S.J., bishop of Košice for Catholics of Byzantine rite, Slovakia; Archbishop Ivan Maffeis of Perugia-Città della Pieve, Italy; Bishop Claudio Palumbo of Trivento, Italy.
Appointment of consultors of the General Secretariat of the Synod
The Holy Father has appointed the following as consultors of the General Secretariat of the Synod: the Reverend Msgr. Alphonse Borras, episcopal vicar of the diocese of Liège, Belgium; the Reverend Messrs. Gilles Routhier, professor of theolology at the Université Laval, Canada, and Ormond Rush, associate professor of theology at the Australian Catholic University; the Reverend Sr. Birgit Weiler, M.M.S., professor of theology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Professor Tricia C. Bruce, president-elect of the Association for the Sociology of Religion; and Professor Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer, professor of theology at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro.
