PUNE, Maharashtra, May 28, 2009, 10.00 Hrs (Camil Parkhe / CBCI News):

Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Pro Nuncio or the Vatican’s ambassador in New Delhi, will install Vasai’s Bishop Thomas Dabre as the sixth bishop of the Pune diocese at St Patrick’s Cathedral here on June 7.

Preparations are in full swing for the ceremony that will be attended by some prominent members of the Catholic Church hierarchy in India, including Mumbai Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Nashik Archbishop Felix Machado, Goa Archbishop Philip Neri, outgoing Bishop Valerian D’Souza, many other bishops, priests and nuns.

At the installation ceremony, Archbishop Quintana who, as papal representative, enjoys diplomatic status, will read out the papal bull issued by Pope Benedict XVI, appointing Dabre as Pune’s new bishop. Later, he will lead Dabre to the cathedra, the chair of the bishop at the cathedral. Dabre will replace Bishop D’Souza who resigned on completion of 75 years in October last year.

Bishop Valerian D’Souza was consecrated bishop in 1978. Having completed 32 years as the head of the diocese, he incidentally is the longest serving bishop in the country. The installation ceremony will be followed by a brief function to felicitate Pune’s new bishop.

An open letter issued by Bishop Dabre, inviting the faithful to attend his installation ceremony in large numbers, was read out at all the churches in the Pune diocese on Sunday. The diocese comprises of Pune, Satara, Solapur, Sangli revenue districts and Kolhapur city.