Two Vatican Prelates to Attend Colloquium of Bishops/Theologians in Bangalore

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jan 14: Two of Vatican’s Prelates – Cardinal William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Roman Curia and Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio to India – will be participating in a week-long Colloquium of Bishops and Theologians in Bangalore from January 16.

Cardinal Levada, who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as his own successor in the post of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will be accompanied by important officials from the Roman Curia in his first-ever visit to Bangalore after his elevation to the top-ranking position in the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal William Joseph Levada

Archbishop Salvatore Pennaechio

Archbishop Bernard Moras

Cardinal Levada has the distinction of serving as the Principal Editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church when Pope Benedict XVI held the post of the Prefect. He is also the President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the International Theological Commission and the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Cardinal Levada was appointed among the first members of the newly created Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation as recently as on January 5, 2011.

Archbishop Pennacchio was appointed Nuncio to India on May 8, 2010, will also be making his first visit to Bangalore.

To mark the presence of Vatican’s two top Prelates in the city, the Bangalore Archdiocese under the leadership of Archbishop Bernard Moras has organized a formal felicitation function at the newly constructed Paalanaa Bhavana, the Archidocesan Pastoral Centre, on January 21 at 4 pm starting with a short prayer service.

Cardinal Levada along with all the other Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops will be offering a solemn Pontifical High Mass at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral Grounds on January 23, Sunday, at 8.30 am, and would be imparting the Apostolic blessings to the faithful.

''It is indeed a happy coincidence that the Archdiocese’s Catechism Day is being celebrated at the Cathedral on January 23 with the participation of over 1000 children from different parishes in the Archdiocese,” remarked Archbishop Bernard Moras.

Cardinal Levada, born on June 15m 1936, had earlier served as Archbishop of Portland (Oregon) from 1986 to 1995 and as Archbishop of San Francisco from 1995 to 2005. He was named as the Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Dominica on March 24, 2006.

Archbishop Pennacchio has served in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Panama, Ethiopia, Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Yogoslavia and Ireland. He was also the Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda and was later appointed in the same position in Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia. He was the Apostolic Delegate in Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia and Brunei before his appointment as Apostolic Nuncio to India.