Catholic Council of India national conference in Pala

A three-day national conference of the Catholic Council of India (CCI) is set to take place at the Alphonsian Pastoral Institute in Arunapuram, Pala, from November 15 to 17. This gathering, which marks the council’s first meeting in seven years, will bring together representatives from all three branches of the Catholic Church in the country. The previous national conference of the CCI was held in 2017, at St. John’s in Bengaluru.

Founded in 1993 by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the CCI serves as a national pastoral council that unites those active in Church ministry, including prelates, priests, monks, and the laity. Prominent Church leaders, including Bombay Archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, CBCI president Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, and Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt of the Pala diocese will take part. This year’s conference will focus on the theme, `The unique role of the laity in India’s social and political context’.