Fr. Simon Almeida Appointed New Bishop of Poona

New Delhi, 1 November 2025 (CCBI): Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Simon Almeida, 65, as the new Bishop of Poona. He is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Western Regional Bishops’ Council and the Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Church, Ghorpuri, Pune.

Fr. Simon Almeida was born on 4 November 1960 in Gass, Bhatori. He completed his schooling at St. Gonsalo Garcia Primary School and Holy Cross High School, Nirmal. In 1978, he joined Prakash Bhavan Minor Seminary, Pune, and later pursued his philosophical and theological formation at St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He was ordained a priest on 1 April 1990 for the Diocese of Poona.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Bombay. He also obtained a Diploma in Foundations for Pastoral Renewal and Steward Leadership in the Church of the Poor from the East Asian Pastoral Institute, Manila (2000–2001), and a Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines (2000–2002).

During his thirty-five years of priestly ministry, Fr. Almeida has served the Diocese of Poona in various pastoral and administrative responsibilities. He was Assistant Parish Priest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Pune (1990–1994), and St. Ignatius Parish, Kirkee (1994–1996). He served as In-charge of Diocesan Youth from 1996 to 2000 and as Rector of Prakash Bhavan Minor Seminary, Pune (2002–2003). He was Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Pune (2003–2008), and later of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Chinchwad (2008–2013). He also served as Financial Administrator of the Diocese from 2010 to 2015.

From 2013 to 2019, he was Parish Priest of St. Anne’s Church, Sholapur Bazaar, and from 2019 to 2023, he was Parish Priest of St. John Paul II Church, Wakad. He has been the Regional Deputy Secretary of the Western Region Bishops’ Council from 2023 to 2025. Fr. Almeida has also been a member of the Diocesan Priests’ Council for two terms and has served as Diocesan Consultor since 2006. Since June 2025, he has been the Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Church, Ghorpuri, Pune.

The Diocese of Poona became vacant when Bishop John Rodrigues of Poona was appointed as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Bombay on 30 November 2024. The diocese has 92,360 Catholics, 42 parishes, 64 diocesan priests, 135 religious priests, and 300 religious sisters.

The Diocese of Poona covers the civil districts of Pune, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, and Kolhapur city in Maharashtra. The Vicariate of Poona was erected on 8 March 1854 and was raised to the status of a diocese on 1 September 1886.

By Dr. Stephen Alathara