Bangalore, 12 April 2025 (CCBI): In a historic decision, Pope Francis has elevated the Diocese of Calicut to a Metropolitan Archdiocese on12 April 2025, also names Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal (72) as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Calicut. The dioceses of Kannur and Sultanpet will serve as their suffragans.
The diocese of Calicut in Malabar region has a deep-rooted legacy that dates back over 500 years. Evangelization began in 1498 with the arrival of Trinitarian missionary Pedro Covilham and others. The first church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was built on the Malabar coast in 1500.
In 1878, Pope Pius IX separated territories that now include Mangalore, Kannur, and Calicut from the Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar, handing it to the Jesuits of Venice in Italy. Calicut later emerged as a separate diocese in 1923 under Pope Pius XI, formed from parts of Mangalore, Mysore, and Coimbatore.
The diocese played a key role in the Church’s mission in Kerala. In 1954, the Oriental faithful were placed under the new diocese of Tellicherry. Later, in 1998, Pope John Paul II carved out the Diocese of Kannur from Calicut.
Initially under Jesuit leadership, Calicut saw bishops such as Paul Perini, Leo Proserpio, Pancratius Zanolin, and Aldo Maria Patroni. In 1980, diocesan clergy took over with Bishop Maxwell Noronha. He was followed by Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil in 2002, and then by Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal in 2012.
Archbishop Chakkalakal brings decades of pastoral experience. Born in Malapallipuram in the Diocese of Kottapuram, he studied in Mala and Mangalore and was ordained a priest in 1981. He became the first bishop of Kannur in 1998 and served there until his transfer to Calicut in 2012.
Archbishop Chakkalakal served as Secretary General of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and currently leads the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRLCBC) and the CCBI Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy, and Religious.
By Dr. Stephen Alathara