Pope appoints new archbishop in Agra, India

By Vatican News

Pope Francis on Thursday appointed a new archbishop in Agra, India.   He transferred Bishop Raphy Manjaly of Allahabad to the metropolitan see of Agra, in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh State.  The appointment comes after the Pope accepted the resignation of Archbishop Albert D'Souza, who has been heading Agra Archdiocese since 2007.  Archbishop D’Souza reached the canonical retirement age for bishops last year. Sixty-two-year old

Bishop Manjaly was born on February 7, 1958, in Vendore, in southern India’s Kerala state.  After his school in his native state, he joined St. Lawrence Minor Seminary, Agra, in 1973 and continued his philosophy and theology at St. Joseph’s Regional Seminary, Allahabad.  He did his graduation and post-graduation degrees from Agra University.  He obtained a doctoral degree from Angelicum University of Rome, Italy. 

He was ordained a priest on May 11, 1983.  Pope Benedict VI appointed him Bishop of Varanasi on February 24, 2007, and he was consecrated bishop on April 30, that year.  Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Allahabad on October 17, 2013.