Pope Leo XIV praises Indian Latin Catholic Church efforts  

VATICAN CITY (Indian Catholic News) — Pope Leo XIV met with leaders of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), expressing deep appreciation for the efforts of the Latin Church in India.  

The delegation was led by Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa and Daman, president of the CCBI and the FABC and Archbishop of Goa and Daman. He was accompanied by Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore,  CCBI vice president ; Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi, CCBI secretary general; and Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the CCBI.  

The meeting, which took place on Aug. 28, the Feast of St. Augustine, lasted for more than 45 minutes and focused on “the life, mission and pastoral concerns of the Latin Catholic Church in India.” The delegation offered its “festal greetings and good wishes to the Holy Father,” who belongs to the Augustinian Order.  

“It was a very friendly meeting, and the Holy Father was extremely cordial with us,” said Cardinal Ferrão. “Pope Leo knows the Church in India well. He had visited India twice, in 2004 and 2006, during his tenure as Prior General of the Order of St Augustine. He appreciated the efforts of the Latin Church in India, particularly the preparation and publication of the Pastoral Plan.” 

During the encounter, the delegation presented several gifts “symbolising the rich cultural heritage and diversity of India.” Cardinal Ferrão presented an oak-wood plaque depicting Jesus Christ surrounded by 12 saints associated with the Church in India, carved by Raphael, a State Award-winning sculptor from Kerala.

The saints portrayed on the plaque are St Thomas the Apostle, St Bartholomew the Apostle, St Francis Xavier, St Gonsalo Garcia, St Joseph Vaz, St John de Britto, St Devasahayam, St Teresa of Calcutta, St Alphonsa, St Kuriakose Elias Chavara, St Euphrasia and St Mariam Thresia.  

Archbishop Machado and Archbishop Aind presented the pope with a traditional Indian Kasavu shawl and a handcrafted Pattu shawl from Kashmir, alongside five varieties of fine tea leaves from Darjeeling, Assam and the Nilgiris.  

Father Alathara presented copies of the CCBI Pastoral Plan, “Journeying Towards a Synodal Church: CCBI Mission 2033,” the Bhubaneswar Document of the 36th CCBI Plenary Assembly held in 2025, and a Catholic edition of the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible approved by the CCBI in 2019.  

The ESV Bible was published by Crossway in Wheaton, Illinois, carrying “a special significance, linking a Catholic edition of Sacred Scripture with the Pope’s own American roots” in nearby Chicago, said the CCBI press release.  

The meeting was a milestone, marking “the first time that its office bearers visited the Holy Father together as a delegation.”  

The CCBI is the canonical episcopal conference representing 132 Latin dioceses, 217 bishops, 564 religious congregations and nearly 18 million Latin Catholics across the country. Its Pastoral Plan, launched in 2024, has “provided a common pastoral vision for the Latin Catholic Church in India and has received appreciation both nationally and internationally.” 

Read the press release.

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