The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (C.B.C.I.) is the
permanent association of the Catholic
Bishops of India. It was formally constituted in September 1944 at the
Conference of Metropolitans held in Madras. Its objectives are to
facilitate coordinated study and discussion of questions affecting the
Church, and adoption of a common policy and effective action in all
matters concerning the interests of the Church in India.
The history of the Catholic Church in Bhopal goes
back to 1785, when Salvador Bourbon, a descendant of the French Royal Catholic
Family of Bourbons, came to Bhopal to work for the reigning Begum Mamola at
Bhopal. In 1829 Bhopal was officially a part of Agra Vicariate. It was Bp
Hartmann ofm. Cap, who is in a very real sense the founder of the Church of
Bhopal. In 1873 he acquired a plot of land from the Muslim ruler of Bhopal and
built the first little church, which, in 1964 became the Cathedral of the newly
erected Archdiocese of Bhopal.
In 1886 the Diocese of Allahabad was formed and
Bhopal was then attached to this new diocese. On March 11, 1935, when the
Mission Territory of Indore was elevated to Prefecture to Indore. In 1958 the
capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh was shifted from Nagpur to Bhopal and
this necessitated the creation of the new Archdiocese of Bhopal.
Bp Eugene D'Souza was transferred from Nagpur to
Bhopal to be its First Archbishop. After steering the life of the Church in
Madhya Pradesh for 30 years through the Archdiocese of Bhopal, Archbishop
Eugene laid down his office and handed over to Bp Pascal Topno, sj, of
Ambikapur, who was promoted as Archbishop of Bhopal on May 20, 1994.
Abp
LEO CORNELIO
Born: Mar. 14, 1945
Priestly Ordn: Nov. 14, 1972
Episcopal Ordn: Sep. 08, 1999
Appointed Archbishop of Bhopal on: Jun. 15, 2007
Installed as Archbishop of Bhopal on: Sep. 16, 2007
Born: Mar. 14, 1945
Priestly Ordn: Nov. 14, 1972
Episcopal Ordn: Sep. 08, 1999
Appointed Archbishop of Bhopal on: Jun. 15, 2007
Installed as Archbishop of Bhopal on: Sep. 16, 2007
Contact Detail-
Phone: +91- 755- 25 40
829, 22 34 903
Fax: +91- 755- 25 44 737
E-mail: adbhopal@vsnl.com, lcornel@sancharnet.in
Website: www.bhopaldiocese.net, http://www.cbcisite.com
Address: Archbishop's House, 33, Ahmedabad Palace Road, Bhopal – 462001,
Madhya Pradesh, India.