Chairman
Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão
Archbishop of Goa and Daman,
Archbishop’s House, Altinho, Panaji – 403 001, Goa
Phone : +91-832-2433600, 2433610, 2225235, 2224789
Fax : +91-832-2224139
E-mail : archbpgoa@gmail.com
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Secretary
Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara
CCBI Centre, P.B. No. 8490
Hutchins Road 2 Cross, Bangalore- 560084
Karnataka, India
Tel: +91-80-25498282, 9632381810
Email: ccbisecretariat@gmail.com
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Member
Most Rev. George Antonysamy
Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore
Archbishop’s House 41, Santhome High Road
Chennai – 600 004, Tamilnadu, India
Phone: 044-24641102, 24640833, Fax: 044-24641999
Email: abpmmsec@gmail.com
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Member
Most Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto
Archbishop of Delhi
Archbishop’s House, 1, Ashok Place
New Delhi – 110 001, India
Phone: 011-23362058, 23346375, Fax: 011-23746575
Email: archbishopdelhi@gmail.com
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About Boundary Commission
The CCBI Commission for Boundary was established on 22 April 1988, when the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India was formed. The Boundary Commission deals with bifurcation and reallocation of diocesan boundaries.
The President of the Conference is the ex-officio Chairman of the Commission. The Vice President and Secretary General are ex-officio the members with the Deputy Secretary General as the ex-officio Secretary of the Commission.
Most of the dioceses in India were established before the independence of the country in 1947. Political states were born in India in 1956 according to languages and cultures. Some of the boundaries established by the dioceses were found to be overlapping the political states of the Indian Union. Due to this factor reallocation or rearrangement of the diocesan boundaries, according to language and culture is required.
If a diocesan Bishop wants to bifurcate or reallocate the boundaries of his diocese, he has to apply to the Boundary Commission of the CCBI. The Boundary Commission will send a detailed questionnaire and ask him to submit a comprehensive report with regard to his request in a dossier format. When the dossiers are received the members of the Commission study the matter and if all members of the Commission agree the proposal is forwarded to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples through the Apostolic Nunciature for approval. Once the Congregation approves it, and the Holy See accepts and declares the bifurcation, a new diocese is created. The same process is also followed for the bifurcation of a Metropolitan Province and for raising a Church or Shrine into a Basilica.
The Boundary Commission deals with:
- Bifurcation of a diocese and the creation of a new diocese
- Rearrangement of the diocesan boundaries
- Bifurcation of a Metropolitan Province and the creation of a new Archdiocese
- The Elevation of a Church or a Shrine into Basilica
- Declaring Church or a Shrine as “National Shrine”
Former Chairmen
- Most Rev. Henry D’Souza, Calcutta: 1988-1990; 1991-1992
- His Eminence Simon Cardinal Pimenta, Bombay: 1993-1995; 1995-1997
- Most Rev. Marianus Arokiasamy, Madurai: 1997-1999
- Most Rev. Henry D’Souza, Calcutta: 1999-2001
- His Eminence Telesphore Cardinal Toppo, Ranchi: 2001-2004
- His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Bombay: 2005-2010
- His Eminence Telesphore Cardinal Toppo, Ranchi: 2011-2013
- His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Bombay: 2013 –2019
- Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrao, Goa and Daman: 2019-
Former Secretaries
- Rev. Dr. Mario Saturnino Dias, Goa 1989-1991
- Rev. Dr. Arulsamy, Kumbakonam 1991-2002
- Rev. Dr. Simon Sebastian, Sivagangai 2002-2006
- Rev. Dr. Udumala Bala, Warangal 2006-2013
- Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara, Verapoly 2014-