The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, established in 1944, exemplifies the unity and dedication of the Catholic Church in fostering faith throughout the nation. Guided by a deep-rooted commitment to the Gospel, this collective effort consistently fortifies the fabric of our diverse communities.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the permanent association of the Catholic Hierarchy of India was constituted at the Metropolitans’ Conference held in Madras in September 1944. Right from the establishment of the CBCI, the CBCI Secretariat was functioning in Bangalore until 1962 when it was shifted to New Delhi.
Its purpose is to facilitate common action of the Hierarchy in matters that affect or are liable to affect the common interests of the Catholic Church in India. Through it the Bishops of India, conscious of their unity and solidarity in the episcopate, “jointly exercise their pastoral office by way of promoting that greater good which the Church offers to humankind, especially through forms and programmes of the apostolate which are fittingly adapted to the circumstances of the age” (C.D., 38.1).
In the wake of the Letter of Pope John Paul II (1987) to all the Bishops of India, we have the ecclesial reality of three Episcopal Bodies with their own rights and ecclesiastical legislation. The three Individual sui juris (Ritual) Churches have their respective Episcopal Bodies: Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) for the Latin Church, Syro Malabar Bishops’ Synod (SMBS) for the Syro Malabar Church and Holy Episcopal Synod for the Syro Malankara Church.
The CBCI is the face of the Catholic Church in India and should deal with ‘questions of common concern and of national and supra-ritual character’ (Letter of Pope John Paul II).
The CBCI is at the service of 174 dioceses out of which 31 are Syro Malabar, 11 are Syro Malankara and 132 are Latin dioceses. The Catholic Church in India is divided into 30 Ecclesiastical Provinces headed by their respective Metropolitans. Besides, it is divided into 14 Regions which function through the Regional Bishops’ Councils, with a Bishop Chairman, Bishop Secretary and a Priest Secretary.