Pope Francis has appointed two new bishops in India to fill vacancies in Tamil Nadu state and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Father Savarimuthu Arokiaraj was appointed bishop of Tiruchirapalli, a diocese in Tamil Nadu, and Father Visuvasam Selvaraj is to become bishop of Port Blair, a diocese in the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on June 29.
The announcement was made to the public in Rome at noon on June 29.
Bishop-elect Arokiaraj, 66, is serving as rector and parish priest of Holy Redeemer’s Basilica in Tiruchirapalli.
He was born on Oct. 24, 1954, in Lalapettai in Tiruchirapalli Diocese. He studied philosophy and theology at St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore, from 1973-80
He was ordained a priest on Jan 8, 1981, for Tiruchirapalli Diocese. He obtained a doctorate in liturgy from the Institute Catholique de Paris in France in 2002.
Father Arokiaraj was secretary of the Diocesan Liturgy Commission from 1988-91. He was regional secretary of the Liturgy Commission of Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council from 2002-08.
He also served the diocese as chancellor and professor of liturgy at St. Paul’s Seminary, Tiruchirapalli, from 2012-15.
Tiruchirapalli Diocese became vacant after the retirement of Bishop Antony Devotta on July 14, 2018. Bishop Devotta died in October 2019.
The diocese comprises parts of three civil districts of Tamil Nadu. It consists of 73 parishes grouped into five vicariates: Puthur, Crawford, Ponmalai, Keeranur and Manaparai.
Father Visuvasam Selvaraj has been appointed bishop of Port Blair. (Photo supplied)
Master’s degree in canon law
Bishop-elect Selvaraj, 55, was born on Jan. 4, 1966, in Raja Anna Malaipuram in the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore.
He attended the diocesan minor seminary in Santhome, Madras, from 1981-85. He studied philosophy at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Chennai from 1985-88 and theology at St. Albert’s College, Ranchi, from 1990-94.
He obtained a master’s degree in canon law in 2001 from St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore.
He was ordained a priest on May 8, 1994, for Port Blair Diocese. He has been serving as diocesan administrator since Bishop Aleixo das Neves Dias resigned on Jan. 5, 2019.
Father Selvaraj has served the diocese as director of social service, procurator, project director, formation director, chaplain, Sagritara Press director, chaplain of the Tamil community, consultor, judicial vicar and chancellor.
Most Catholics in Port Blair Diocese are settlers from tribal pockets in eastern Indian states. They came to the territory in the 1920s after the British requested Ranchi Catholic Mission to supply laborers for logging.
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