Asia's Catholic Bishops' Conferences Elect a New FABC President from India - Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão of Goa


India's archbishop of Goa was elected today in Bangkok, Thailand, by the leaders of Asia's Bishops' Conferences. Next January he will begin his term as the third Indian to head the collegial body, taking over from Cardinal Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, who led the bishops since 2018.  
The Central Committee of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), is made up og the bishops' conferences of Asia, and held one of their meetings.
They elected Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão, Archbishop of Goa and Daman (India), replacing Cardinal Charles Maung Bo.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, who chairs the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), was elected vice-president, while Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo (Japan) was re-elected as secretary general. Each will take office in January 2025.
Cardinal Ferrão, age 71, has chaired the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), the national episcopal conference of the Latin Church, since 2019. Born in Aldona (Goa), he was ordained a priest in 1979, becoming bishop in 1994, when he was appointed auxiliary of Goa alongside Archbishop Raul Nicolau Gonçalves. In 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed him as the latter’s successor in this historic Indian episcopal see. In the consistory of 27 August 2022, Pope Francis elevated him to the dignity of cardinal.
The FABC was founded in 1970 with the approval of Paul VI, and includes 16 Bishops' Conferences from the large continent as well as some individual dioceses, like Hong Kong and Macau.
In his mandate, the new FABC president will be called upon to continue on the path set by the Assembly of Catholic Churches of Asia held in October 2022 at Baan Phu Waan, the pastoral centre of the Archdiocese of Bangkok.
That meeting, which was designed to mark the federation’s 50th anniversary, was held two years later than originally scheduled due to COVID-19. It produced the Bangkok Document, which highlights some priorities for the Churches of Asia in today's context.
In a press release the Archdiocese of Goa-Daman wrote: 
Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão Elected as New President of the Federation of Asian Catholic Bishop’s Conferences (FABC)
It is with great joy that the Church in Goa has received the news that our beloved Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, has been elected the President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).
He will succeed Cardinal Charles Muang Bo, the Head of the Catholic Church in Myanmar, in January 2025, after the latter’s completion of a three-year term as the Head of the Asian Church.
The election was held on February 22, during the three-day FABC Central Committee Meeting that took place in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David of Kalookan, Philippines, was elected the Vice President, while Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kilkuchi of Tokyo, Japan, was re-elected for a second term as the Secretary General of the Federation.
Currently, Cardinal Ferrao is the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), the national body of the Bishops of the Latin Rite in our country.
The FABC comprises Episcopal Conferences in South, Southeast, East and Central Asia. The Federation, which was founded in 1970, is a Vatican-approved association of Episcopal Conferences in Asia.
As the Church in Goa and Daman congratulates Cardinal Ferrao on this wonderful occasion, we pray that the Almighty may help him to fulfil his new and challenging responsibility in fostering solidarity and co-responsibility among Bishops for the welfare of the Church and society in Asia, which is the purpose of the FABC.


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