The glorious chapter of the expansion of the Catholic Church in the east can be said to have begun after the European 'discovery' of the sea route to India in 1498. This helped the coming of the European fathers to these lands, one of them being St. Francis Xavier, the great Apostle of the East and Patron of the Missions. Goa is privileged to have been the starting point of his Church work labours and the place where his sacred remains are preserved.

Goa was called the "Rome of the East" due to the central role it played in the evangelization of the east. One Goan priest, Fr Joseph Vaz, who distinguished himself in the evangelization of Sri Lanka and is therefore acclaimed as the 'Apostle of Ceylon', was beatified by Pope John Paul II on January 21, 1995. Another Goan priest, Fr Agnelo de Souza, member of the Missionary Society of Pilar, is hopefully on the way to beatification.

Pope Clement VII erected the See of Goa on January 31, 1533. Its Jurisdiction extended from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, to China and Japan. On February 4, 1557, Pope Paul IV detached Goa from the province of Lisbon and raised it to a Metropolitan Archdiocese, having as suffragans the Dioceses of Cochin and Malacca (Malaysia). In the course of time, the Sees of Macau (near Hong Kong), Funay (Japan), Cranganore, Mylapore, Nanking and Peking in China, Mozambique in East Africa and Daman were created and made suffragans of Goa.

In 1572, Pope Gregory XIII, by his Brief dated March 15, acknowledged the Archbishop of Goa as the Primate of the East. By 1857, Goa had gained some more suffragans while, on the other hand, it had lost most of its overseas suffragans, to the exception of Macau and Mozambique. On January 23, 1886, Pope Leo XIII invested the Archbishop of Goa with the title of Patriarch of East Indies. In the same year, the Archdiocese of Cranganore was suppressed and its title was annexed to the Diocese of Daman, and, after the suppression of the later in 1928, to the Archdiocese of Goa. From 1928, this Archdiocese is known as "Goa and Daman," and its Archbishop is also the Titular Archbishop of Cranganore.

Further delinkings were effected when Mozambique was detached from Goa in 1940, followed by the Dioceses of Cochin and Mylapore in 1950 and the Vicariates General of the Ghats (Districts of Belgaum, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Sangli) and of Canara (North Canara Dt.) in 1953.

By the end of 1961, Indian troops marched on Goa, Daman and Diu and the Portuguese sovereignty over these territories came to an end. The following year, the last Portuguese Patriarch-Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Abp Jose Vieira Alvernaz, left India. By the time his resignation was accepted by the Holy See in 1975, the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman had been governed by Goa Apostolic Administrators (Bishop Francisco Rebelo till 1972, and Bishop Raul N. Gonsalves till 1978). Meanwhile, as late as 1976, the Diocese of Macau (China) and Timor (Indonesia) were delinked and the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman was placed directly under the Congregation for the Evangelisation of the Peoples. The area of the Archdiocese today is comprised of the territory of Goa and the territories belonging to the suppressed Diocese of Daman, v.g. Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

By Papal Bull "Quoniam Archdioecesi" dated January 30, 1978, Pope Paul VI appointed Bp Raul N. Gonsalves to the Archiepiscopal See of Goa and Daman, with the title of Patriarch "ad honorem" of the East Indies. Having taken canonical possession of the Archdiocese in the 'Se Catedral' at Old Goa, on March 5, 1978, Abp Raul N. Gonsalves became the 33rd Archbishop of Goa and Daman and the 6th Patriarch of the East Indies - "the first Indian incumbent of that office".

In the Centenary Year of the Patriarchate of the East Indies (1886-1986), the Primatial Archdiocese of Goa and Daman was visited by His Holiness John Paul II who, during his pastoral visit to India, stayed in Goa from 5th to 7th February 1986.

By the Papal Bull "Inter Gravissimas" of Pope John Paul II, dated 12th December, 2003, Most. Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrao, ordained Bishop on 10th April, 1994 and serving the Archdiocese as its Auxiliary Bishop, was appointed Archbishop of Goa and Daman and Patriarch "ad honorem" of the East Indies. the public announcement of the appointment was made on the 16th January, 2004 and he was officially installed at the "Se Cathedral" at Old Goa, on the 21st March, 2004.

On November 25, 2006, the holy Father constituted the Diocese of Sindhudurg, formerly a Suffragan of Bombay diocese, as a Suffragan of this Archdiocese, thus creating once again (after a gap of thirty years) the Metropolitan Province of Goa and Daman.

Abp FILIPE NERI FERRAO
Born: Jan. 20, 1953
Priestly Ordn: Oct. 28, 1979
Episcopal Ordn: Apr. 10, 1994

Address:
Archbishop's House,
Altinho, Panaji - 403 001
Goa.

Tel: (0832) 24 22 652, 22 23 353, 22 25 291
Fax: (0832) 22 24 139
E-mail: archbpgoa@gmail.com 
Website: www.archgoadaman.org