Verghese V Joseph –
Cardinal Poola Anthony, Archbishop of Hyderabad, has been elected President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), as the country’s Catholic hierarchy chose a new leadership team during its 37th General Body Meeting in Bengaluru on February 7, 2026.
New team at the helm
The meeting at St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, bishops from across India elected the new office bearers for a two-year term, entrusting them with the task of guiding the Church’s common pastoral and national engagements until 2028.
Cardinal Poola will be assisted by two vice presidents and a secretary general, reflecting the CBCI’s established structure of shared leadership. Archbishop Thomas Mar Koorilos of Tiruvalla was elected Vice President–First and Archbishop Mathew Moolakkatt of Kottayam Vice President–Second, while Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi was re-elected Secretary General, ensuring continuity at the level of day-to-day coordination.
The election of Cardinal Poola places at the head of the CBCI a prelate who has moved from Andhra Pradesh to the College of Cardinals and now to national ecclesial leadership. As President, he will represent the Catholic Church in India at national forums and oversee the implementation of policies and decisions taken by the bishops’ conference.
A leadership reflecting India’s rites
The composition of the new team highlights one of the most distinctive features of the Catholic Church in India: its three ritual traditions—Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara—working together through the CBCI. Cardinal Poola Anthony and Archbishop Anil Couto belong to the Latin Rite, which comprises the majority of Indian Catholics and dioceses. Archbishop Thomas Mar Koorilos, the new First Vice President, comes from the Syro-Malankara Church, while Archbishop Mathew Moolakkatt, the Second Vice President, represents the Syro-Malabar Church.
This deliberate balance of rites at the top of the CBCI underlines the conference’s mandate to deal with issues of “national and supra-ritual character” on behalf of all Catholics in the country. It also signals an attempt to ensure that concerns and perspectives from all three ritual Churches are reflected in common discussions on evangelization, education, social outreach and engagement with public policy.
Outgoing leaders and continuity
The new team succeeds Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, who served as President, along with Archbishop George Anthonysamy as Vice President–First and Bishop Joseph Mar Thomas as Vice President–Second. Their tenure spanned a period marked by increasing social and legal scrutiny of religious minorities, ongoing debates on constitutional values, and the Church’s own internal reflections on mission and governance.
By re-electing Archbishop Anil Couto as Secretary General, the bishops have opted for continuity in the CBCI secretariat, which coordinates commissions, prepares national statements and follows up on the decisions of the plenary assembly and executive committee. This mix of new faces and institutional memory positions the conference to carry forward initiatives already underway, while allowing the new president and vice presidents to imprint their own pastoral priorities.
Elections amid a week-long assembly
The elections took place during the 37th General Body Meeting, a week-long gathering being held from February 4 to 10 in Bengaluru, bringing together bishops and senior Church leaders from all parts of the country. The assembly is reflecting on the Church’s mission in contemporary India, with special attention to the nation’s democratic and constitutional foundations.
Sessions during the meeting feature legal and academic experts, including former Supreme Court judge Justice K. M. Joseph and scholar Prof. D. Dominic, who are offering inputs on the place of constitutional values in public life. Alongside spiritual and pastoral deliberations, the agenda includes reports from CBCI offices and commissions, thematic workshops on emerging challenges, and elections not only of the office bearers but also of chairpersons of various CBCI commissions.
A national voice for the Church
Formally established in 1944, the CBCI is the permanent association of the Catholic bishops of India and serves as the collective voice of the Church on issues that cut across regions and rites. Through its plenary assemblies and executive structures, it studies questions affecting the Church, drafts common policies and coordinates responses on matters such as education, healthcare, social justice, and interreligious relations.
With Cardinal Poola and the new team now at the helm, the conference is expected to continue engaging questions of nation-building, constitutional guarantees and the protection of fundamental freedoms, alongside its core pastoral responsibilities. A public function on February 9, at which distinguished Christians will be honoured for their contribution to society and the Church, will offer a symbolic backdrop to this change of guard—linking new leadership, ongoing service and the wider witness of the Catholic community in India.