Archbishop Varghese Chakkalakal Installed as First Metropolitan Archbishop of Calicut

Calicut, 25 May 2025: In a grand and prayerful ceremony, Archbishop Varghese Chakkalakal was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the newly elevated Archdiocese of Calicut. The liturgical celebration took place on Sunday, 25 May 2025, at St. Joseph’s School Grounds, drawing thousands of faithful from across Kerala and beyond.

The ceremony was presided over by His Excellency Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal. Archbishop Varghese made his profession of faith and took the canonical oath before the Nuncio, formally assuming his new role. Over 25 bishops, hundreds of priests and religious, and thousands of laypeople attended the historic event with deep devotion.

The highlight of the ceremony was the reading of the papal decree that elevated the Diocese of Calicut to a Metropolitan Archdiocese. The decree, dated 12 April 2025, was issued by Pope Francis after consultation with the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Apostolic Nunciature. It was read in Latin by Msgr. Vincent Pullickan, in English by Rev. Dr. Jerome Chinanthara, and in Malayalam by Fr. Sajeev Varghese, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Calicut.

The new ecclesiastical province of Calicut includes the dioceses of Kannur and Sultanpet as its suffragans.

In his homily, Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and President of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), reflected on the vital role the Calicut Church has played in the evangelization of northern Kerala.

“Calicut is the mother diocese of all Catholic dioceses in the Malabar region,” he said, recalling how the diocese welcomed Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara priests in earlier decades, allowing them to establish parishes and mission centres in the region.

Representing the CCBI Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General and Rev. Dr. Charles Leon, Executive Secretary to the Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy and Religious participated the event.

The celebration marked a milestone in the history of the Catholic Church in Kerala, as Calicut steps into a new chapter of leadership and missionary responsibility.

The diocese of Calicut in Malabar region has a deep-rooted legacy that dates back over 500 years. Evangelization began in 1498 with the arrival of Trinitarian missionary Pedro Covilham and others. The first church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was built on the Malabar coast in 1500.

In 1878, Pope Pius IX separated territories that now include Mangalore, Kannur, and Calicut from the Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar, handing it to the Jesuits of Venice in Italy. Calicut later emerged as a separate diocese in 1923 under Pope Pius XI, formed from parts of Mangalore, Mysore, and Coimbatore.

The diocese played a key role in the Church’s mission in Kerala. In 1954, the Oriental faithful were placed under the new diocese of Tellicherry. Later, in 1998, Pope John Paul II carved out the Diocese of Kannur from Calicut.

Initially under Jesuit leadership, Calicut saw bishops such as Paul Perini, Leo Proserpio, Pancratius Zanolin, and Aldo Maria Patroni. In 1980, diocesan clergy took over with Bishop Maxwell Noronha. He was followed by Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil in 2002, and then by Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal in 2012.

Archbishop Chakkalakal brings decades of pastoral experience. Born in Malapallipuram in the Diocese of Kottapuram, he studied in Mala and Mangalore and was ordained a priest in 1981. He became the first bishop of Kannur in 1998 and served there until his transfer to Calicut in 2012.

Archbishop Chakkalakal served as Secretary General of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and currently leads the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRLCBC) and the CCBI Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy, and Religious.

By Dr. Stephen Alathara