Felix Anthony
MIAO : Pope Leo has appointed Most Rev. George Pallipparambil SDB, Bishop of Miao Diocese in India’s Arunachal Pradesh state, as a member of the International Council for Catechesis (Co.In.Cat.), the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization announced this week.
The appointment, for a five-year term (ad quinquennium), was confirmed in a letter from the Dicastery’s Pro-Prefect, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, dated 30 July 2026 and addressed to Bishop Pallipparambil at his residence in Miao. The letter notes that the Vatican’s Secretariat of State formally advised the Dicastery of the pope’s approval on 5 July 2026, following a request from the Dicastery itself.
Co.In.Cat. is a consultative body that supports the Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World, offering guidance and reflection on catechetical initiatives across the global Church.
In his letter, Archbishop Fisichella expressed hope that Bishop Pallipparambil’s experience would allow him “to make a valuable contribution to the reflection and initiatives of this body in the important and sensitive field of catechesis.” The letter was countersigned by Mons. Graham Bell, Under-Secretary in charge of the Dicastery’s Secretariat.
Bishop Pallipparambil, a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), leads the Diocese of Miao, which covers a largely tribal and mission territory in northeastern India near the borders with Myanmar and China. The diocese is known for its missionary character and its work among indigenous communities in one of India’s more remote regions.
The appointment adds an Indian voice with direct pastoral experience in a frontier missionary diocese to a Vatican council tasked with shaping catechetical policy for the universal Church. Bishop Pallipparambil’s term on the council is set to run for five years from the date of the papal approval.
The people of Miao have expressed joy over the appointment of their Bishop by the Holy See and assured their prayerful support as he takes up his duty with an important International Council of the Holy See. (The contributor looks after the Office of Social Communication, Miao Diocese. He can be contacted at felixamiao@gmail.com)
