Mar Varghese Chakkalakal installed first archbishop of 'Calicut Archdiocese'

IN A momentous ceremony, the Diocese of Calicut--a key spiritual hub of the Catholic Church in Malabar--was officially elevated to the status of an archdiocese, with Rev Dr Varghese Chakkalakal ordained as its first archbishop.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kozhikode

The ceremony on Sunday, held in the courtyard of St Joseph's Church, Kozhikode, was attended by thousands of faithful and dignitaries.

The proclamation and ordination ceremony was led by Dr Leo Pauldo Girelli, the apostolic nuncio to India. The decree, announcing the elevation and appointment of the archbishop, was solemnly read in Latin, English, and Malayalam during the initial phase of the Mass, marking the historic transformation of the diocese.

Mar Chakkalakal publicly pledged his allegiance to the Church before the apostolic nuncio, who represented the Vatican, and the gathered congregation, officially assuming his responsibilities as metropolitan archbishop.