Telugu Catholic Bishops Hold Jubilee Celebrations in Hyderabad Archdiocese

Hyderabad, October 21, 2025: The Telugu Catholic Bishops’ Council (TCBC), under the leadership of Cardinal Poola Anthony, Archbishop of Hyderabad, has begun a two-day Jubilee 2025 celebration at St. John’s Regional Seminary, Ramanthapur, Hyderabad, from 21–22 October. The event, held in response to the late Pope Francis’s declaration of 2025 as a Jubilee Year, has brought together bishops, priests, religious sisters, and lay faithful from across the seven dioceses of the Hyderabad ecclesiastical province to rekindle hope in humanity.

Around 1,500 delegates representing the dioceses of Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, Kurnool, Kadapa, Adilabad, and Shamshabad are participating in the celebrations. The programme includes liturgical activities, prayer sessions, and the proclamation and contemplation of the Word of God, with a focus on gratitude to God, global peace, national prosperity, and the welfare of communities.

Participants reflected on the call to reconciliation with God, humanity, and creation. The celebrations aim to encourage the faithful to renew their faith, commit to Christian witness, and promote peace, service, sacrifice, and universal brotherhood.

Conferences held during the event are designed to strengthen communion within the Church, build relationships with other Christian denominations, and promote dialogue with people of diverse faiths and goodwill. Echoing the late Pope Francis’s message that all are pilgrims on this earth, the Jubilee celebrations underscore the Church’s mission to create an inclusive community where no one feels excluded and everyone finds belonging and acceptance.

Jubilee years, observed every 25 years in accordance with biblical tradition, are considered times of divine grace, reconciliation, and renewal. The 2025 Jubilee emphasizes hope amid global challenges such as conflict, migration, and natural disasters, affirming that the Resurrection signifies the ultimate triumph of faith and that suffering is temporary.

By Fr. Raju Alex

TCBC Deputy secretary

Hyderabad