Kochi: The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church on Saturday got its second diocese outside India after the one in Chicago, with the Vatican announcing the creation of the eparchy of Melbourne for it. Mar Bosco Puthur will be the first bishop of the new diocese named St Thomas the Apostle, Melbourne, which will cover the entire Australia.
Major Archbishop Mar George Cardinal Alencherry who read the Vatican communiqué at the Church headquarters here, said that Mar Puthur would also function as the Apostolic Visitor for the faithful in New Zealand as well. Following this, Mar Puthur gave up his post as Curia Bishop of the Church which he held for the last four years.
In another development, Thrissur Auxiliary Bishop Mar Raphael Thattil was appointed as Apostolic Visitor of the Church for faithful living outside its dioceses in India.
Mar Puthur told reporters that the Syro-Malabar Church had no parishes or priests now in Australia. “My task will be to get to know the faithful there and create small communities for them. There are an estimated 40,000 faithful of the Church in Australia and 3,000 to 4,000 in New Zealand.”
Mar Thattil, who would continue his work as Auxiliary Bishop of Thrissur in addition to the new task, said that he was undertaking the new job with an open mind. “I don’t know how to go about it. I need everyone’s support for this.”
Mar Thattil said that he would need to meet bishops and priests belonging to the Latin dioceses outside Kerala for doing the groundwork for creating Syro-Malabar communities.
Meanwhile, Fr. Francis Kolenchery was appointed as the first vicar-general of the new Melbourne diocese by Major Archbishop Cardinal Alencherry. Fr. Francis Kolenchery belongs to the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly and at present he is working in Canberra Cathedral, Australia, as Pastoral Administrator.
