Archbishop Victor Lyngdoh Elected NEIRBC President, Archbishop Linus Neli Vice President

Shillong, September 10, 2026: Archbishop Victor Lyngdoh of Shillong has been elected president of the North East India Regional Bishops’ Council (NEIRBC), while Archbishop Linus Neli of Imphal has been chosen as vice president, ushering in a new leadership team for the regional body.

The elections were held in Shillong following the North East India Regional Pastoral Conference, which concluded in Guwahati on September 7. The bishops travelled to Shillong after the four-day conference for the meeting of the regional council.

Archbishop Lyngdoh succeeds Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati, who is due to retire later this year. He had previously served as vice president of the NEIRBC.

Archbishop Neli, who had been chairman of the council’s Youth Commission, succeeds Archbishop Lyngdoh as vice president.

Bishop James Thoppil of Kohima was re-elected Secretary General, while Fr GP Amal of Dibrugarh Diocese will continue as Deputy Secretary, an appointed position. Fr Amal has held the post for 12 years, succeeding Fr Thomas Manjaly, and his continuation is expected to provide institutional continuity to the council’s work.

Revised statutes introduce three-year term

The elections were conducted under the revised NEIRBC Statutes of 2026. Article 22(a) provides for a three-year term for office-bearers, renewable for one additional term.

The provision replaces the four-year term stipulated in the 2014 statutes, which could also be renewed for another four years. The revised arrangement establishes a three-year leadership cycle, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

The NEIRBC is one of India’s 14 regional bishops’ councils and serves as a forum for the bishops of the Northeast to coordinate pastoral initiatives, address regional concerns and strengthen collaboration among dioceses and Church institutions.

Archbishop Lyngdoh brings wide pastoral experience

Archbishop Victor Lyngdoh has served in several key pastoral assignments in the region. A priest of the Archdiocese of Shillong, he was appointed the first Bishop of Nongstoin in 2006 following the establishment of the diocese.

After a decade in Nongstoin, he was appointed Bishop of Jowai in 2016. He was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Shillong in 2020.

His successive assignments in Nongstoin, Jowai and Shillong have given him extensive pastoral experience across Meghalaya and the wider Northeast.

Archbishop Neli adds canonical and social-action experience

Archbishop Linus Neli brings pastoral, academic and canonical experience to the regional leadership. A canonist and academic, he has held various pastoral and ecclesial responsibilities and currently serves as chairman of Caritas India.

His involvement in social action and humanitarian initiatives, alongside his leadership of the Archdiocese of Imphal, adds another dimension to the new regional leadership team.

The leadership transition follows the North East India Regional Pastoral Conference held under the theme, “Journeying with Indigenous People of God in the Synodal Church in NEI.”

The new office-bearers, together with the revised statutes and the pastoral conference, are expected to guide the NEIRBC into a new phase of greater synodal participation, regional collaboration and context-sensitive pastoral engagement.

By NESCOM