His Holiness Pope Francis appoints Bishop Peter Machado as the New Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bangalore.

     Archbishop-designate Peter Machado

Dear Rev. Fathers/Sisters/Brothers and Lay Faithful,

Peace of Christ!

As communiqué received from Rome through the Apostolic Nuncio, I am pleased to inform you that His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Peter Machado, until now Bishop of Belgaum, as the new Archbishop of Bangalore. This announcement was officially made known in Vatican on March 19, 2018 (Feast of St. Joseph) at 4.30 p.m. (IST).

At the outset, on behalf of all of us, I am delighted to extend our prayerful congratulations to Archbishop-designate Peter Machado as the new Archbishop of Bangalore. May I also wish him every success in his Archiepiscopacy in this Archdiocese. May Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest and Mary our Dearest Mother and St. Francis Xavier, Patron of our Archdiocese, guide him in his Pastoral Care in the Archdiocese. The date of the canonical taking possession of the new Archbishop will be intimated to you later.

Further, The Holy See has also asked me to continue as the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese till the Archbishop-Designate officially assumes office. May I assure you of my selfless service, and also seek your continued prayerful support and cooperation.

The Archbishop-Elect Peter Machado was born on May 26, 1954, in Honavar, which at the time was in Belgaum Diocese. He did his Philosophy and Theology Studies in Papal Seminary, Pune, and was ordained a Priest on Dec. 8, 1978, for the Diocese of Karwar that was separated from Belgaum diocese and made into a new diocese in 1976. He completed his doctoral studies in Rome in Canon Law and served the diocese of Karwar as Procurator, Judicial Vicar, Consultor. He was appointed Bishop of Belgaum on Feb. 2, 2006, and was ordained Bishop on March 30 that year.

Presently, he is the Member of the Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRCBC), and Member of the Board of Administration of St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary and Institute, Bengaluru, and Member of All Karnataka United Christian Forum for Human Right (AKUCFHR). Presently, he is the Chairman of the Karnataka Regional Bishops’ Laity Commission and also the Vice-President of the Catholic Council of Karnataka (CCK).