Media Release
Bengaluru, Sep 23: The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) appointed coordinators for Education, Health, Social Service and Media apostolates. The appointment was made during the 87th executive committee meeting of the CCBI held on September 20 and 21, 2021.
Fr Joseph Manipadam, SDB, currently the coordinator for Education and Culture of Don Bosco Youth Animation for South Asia, is appointed the CCBI Coordinator for Education. He was the former executive secretary of the CBCI Office for Education and Culture. He is a member of the Salesian Province of St John Bosco, Kolkata.
Dr Prakash Sagili, from the diocese of Cuddapah in Andhra, is appointed as the coordinator for the CCBI Health Apostolate. He was the former associate director of St John’s National Institute of Health Sciences, Bengaluru and the national director of YCS/YSM.
Fr Bipin Kumar Pani, currently the regional director of Social Service of Jharkhand Bishops’ Council, is appointed as the coordinator of the CCBI Social Apostolate. He belongs to the diocese of Jamshedpur and holds an MBA with specialization in Rural Management from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar and a Diploma in Integrated Rural Development from Searsolin, Xavier University, Philippines.
Dr Cyril Victor Joseph, from the archdiocese of Bangalore, has been appointed as the coordinator for the CCBI Media Apostolate. Currently he is the secretary for the commission for Social Communication and director of Paalanaa Bhavan of the archdiocese of Bangalore. He holds a Licentiate and a Doctorate in Institutional Communication from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and has worked for the EWTN TV in Alabama, USA.
The newly appointed coordinators will assist the conference in their respective areas and network with the 132 dioceses and religious congregations of the Latin Church in India. The CCBI is the largest Bishops’ Conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world, with 190 member bishops. This Episcopal Conference animates the Church in India through its 16 Commissions and 4 departments.