austraLasia 1099
Amongst final papal acts: Salesian Archbishop for
Madras
drawn from the resources of BIS-Kolkata
ROME: 2nd April 2005 -- In what turned
out to be one of Pope John Paul's final acts as supreme pastor of the Universal
Church, the appointment was announced on 1st April of Bishop Malayappan
Chinnappa as Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, thus returning a Salesian to the
pastoral leadership of an archdiocese which began under the direction of
Archbishop Louis Mathias, a French national and a member of the first
group of Salesians to come to Northeast India in 1922.
Archbishop Malayappan is 67 years of age
and has been bishop of Vellore for the past 11 years. In his capacity as
the chairman of the Episcopal Conference of India's Commission for Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes [sic], he has made remarkable
contributions in the field.
Traditionally, Mylapore, which was included
in the Archdiocese of Madras in 1952, is regarded as the original site of
Christianity in India, brought by none other than St Thomas, Apostle. The
remains of the Apostle are said to be buried in the sepulchre in the Cathedral
Basilica at Mylapore.
Archbishop Malayappan fills a vacancy for
the See created by the death of former Archbishop Aral Das James in August last
year.
______________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian
Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based
in Rome. Try also www.bosconet.aust.com and Lexisdb 
