Four New Ecclesiastical Provinces Announced in the Syro-Malabar Church

Kakkanad, August 28, 2025: His Beatitude Mar Raphael Thattil, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, issued decrees erecting four new ecclesiastical provinces in the Syro-Malabar Church—Faridabad, Ujjain, Kalyan, and Shamshabad—and appointing Mar Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, Mar Sebastian Vadakel MST, Mar Sebastian Vaniyapurackal, and Mar Prince Antony Panengadan respectively as the Metropolitan Archbishops. These decisions were announced on 28 August at a public meeting held at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia at Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad, in the presence of the Synod Fathers, and were also made public at 12 noon (Italian time) in the Vatican.

Faridabad Province

The Eparchies of Bijnor and Gorakhpur will be suffragan eparchies, with Mar Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, Bishop of Faridabad, appointed as the Metropolitan Archbishop.

Ujjain Province

The Eparchies of Sagar, Satna, and Jagdalpur will be suffragan eparchies, with Mar Sebastian Vadakel MST, Bishop of Ujjain, as the Metropolitan Archbishop.

Kalyan Province

The Eparchies of Chanda and Rajkot are included. Following the resignation of Mar Thomas Elavanal, Bishop of Kalyan, after completing seventy-five years of age, Mar Sebastian Vaniyapurackal, currently the Curia Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, has been appointed as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kalyan.

Shamshabad Province

The Eparchy of Adilabad will be its suffragan eparchy, with Mar Prince Antony Panengadan, Bishop of Shamshabad, as the Metropolitan Archbishop. Additionally, the Eparchy of Hosur in Tamil Nadu will now be the suffragan eparchy of the Archeparchy of Trichur.

By Catholic Connect Reporter

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