Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Resignation and appointment of bishop of Simla and Chandigarh, India

Erection of the ecclesiastic province of Calicut, India, and appointment of first metropolitan archbishop

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Dumka, India

Appointment of special envoy to the celebrations for the centenary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Rijeka, Croatia

Appointment of special envoy to the celebrations of the centenary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Katowice, Poland

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in Ethiopia

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in the Netherlands

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Nauru

 

Resignation and appointment of bishop of Simla and Chandigarh, India

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Simla and Chandigarh, India, presented by Bishop Ignatius Loyola Ivan Mascarenhas.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Sahaya Thatheus Thomas, until now rector of the Holy Trinity Major Seminary in Jullundur, as bishop of the diocese of Simla and Chandigarh, India.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Sahaya Thatheus Thomas was born on 6 November 1971 in Chinnavilai, in the diocese of Kottar, Tamil Nadu. After his formation at Saint Paul’s Minor Seminary, Lucknow, he studied philosophy and theology at the Holy Trinity Major Seminary in Jullundur. He obtained a licentiate in theology and a doctorate in sacred scripture at the Universität Wien , Austria. He was also awarded a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Punjab, in Patiala, and a master’s degree in human rights from the Indian Institute of Human RIghts in New Delhi.

He was ordained a priest on 13 May 2001.

He has held the following offices: parish assistant of Little Flower , in Panchkula (2001-2004), vice rector of the diocesan major seminary in Kauli (2004-2009), director of the Diocesan Commission for the Media and the Diocesan Bible Enquiry Centre (2004-2009), deputy parish priest in Schwechat, Austria (2010-2013), deputy parish priest in Retz in the metropolitan archdiocese of Vienna (2013-2016), and parish priest of Little Flower in Sangrur, Punjab (2017-2019). Since 2019 he has served as rector of the Holy Trinity Major Seminary in Jullundur.

 

Erection of the ecclesiastical province of Calicut, India, and appointment of first metropolitan archbishop

The Holy Father has erected the ecclesiastical province of Calicut, India, elevating the see of Calicut to a metropolitan Church and assigning to it as suffragans the diocese of Kannur and Sultanpet, until now belonging to the ecclesiastical province of Verapoly.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal, until now bishop of Calicut, as metropolitan archbishop of the same See.

 

Statistical data of the new ecclesiastical province:

 

CALICUT

KANNUR

SULTANPET

Area (km 2 )

8036

4988

4482

Inhabitants

9,164,058

3,286,871

2,900,000

Catholics

48,050

55,759

34,782

Deaneries

4

6

4

Parishes

41

63

30

Missionary stations

12

23

36

Diocesan priests

82

69

29

Religious priests

102

77

37

Men religious

9

8

0

Women religious

790

603

108

Major/minor seminarians

16/17

16/12

5/6

Educational institutes

67

64

21

Charitable institutes

41

7

6

Main languages

Malayalam, English, Tamil, Konkani

Malayalam

Malayalam, Tamil

 

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Dumka, India

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Sonatan Kisku, until now vicar general of the diocese of Dumka and parish priest of Saint Mary’s , as auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Dumka, India, assigning him the titular see of Zarna.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Sonatan Kisku was born on 15 May 1969 in Kaudia, in the diocese of Dumka. He was ordained a priest for the same diocese on 15 April 2002. After attending Saint Paul’s Minor Seminary in Lucknow, he carried out his studies in philosophy at the Morning Star College in Calcutta, and in theology at the Papal Seminary in Pune. He was awarded a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University of Rome.

He has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of Torai (2002-2004), director of the Diocesan Vocation Centre (2007-2008), diocesan bursar (2008-2013), diocesan chancellor (2008-2021), chargé for legal affairs (since 2008), chargé for the pastoral care of the Christian communities of Gopikandar (2012-2014), chargé for young priests (since 2013), chargé for elderly and sick priests (since 2014), vicar general (since 2015), director of the Social Development Centre (2015-2023), secretary of Saint Joseph’s English Medium School (since 2015), regional director of the Basic Ecclesial Communities of the region of Jharkhand and the Andaman Islands (since 2021). Since 2023 he has served as parish priest of Saint Mary’s in Dumka.

 

Appointment of special envoy to the celebrations for the centenary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Rijeka, Croatia

The Holy Father has appointed His Eminence Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, metropolitan archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, as his special envoy to the celebrations for the centenary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Rijeka, Croatia, to take place on 14 June 2025.

 

Appointment of special envoy to the celebrations of the centenary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Katowice, Poland

The Holy Father has appointed His Eminence Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, archbishop emeritus of Warszawa, as his special envoy to the celebrations for the centenary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Katowice, Poland, to take place on 11 June 2025.

 

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in Ethiopia

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Brian Udaigwe, titular of Suelli, until now apostolic nuncio in Sri Lanka, as apostolic nuncio in Ethiopia.

 

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in the Netherlands

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich, titular of Sulci, until now apostolic nuncio in Slovenia and apostolic delegate for Kosovo, as apostolic nuncio in the Netherlands.

 

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Nauru

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Gábor Pintér, titular of Velebusdus, apostolic nuncio in New Zealand, Fiji, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and Vanuatu, as apostolic nuncio in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Nauru.

The following is the Message sent by the Holy Father to the young participants in the UNIV 2025 International Conference, taking place in Rome from 12 to 20 April:

 

Message of the Holy Father

Dear young people,

The UNIV International Conference that you are holding in Rome brings you together during these days in the celebration of a double Jubilee event: the Holy Year 2025 and the centenary of the priestly ordination of Saint Josemaría Escrivá. How many reasons to give thanks to God and to continue to journey enthusiastically in faith, diligent in charity and persevering in hope (cf. 1 Thess 1:3)!

I join in your joy and accompany you with my prayer, asking the Lord that this time of pilgrimage and fraternal encounter may impel you to bring to all the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, as the proclamation of the hope that fulfils the promises, leads to glory and, founded on love, does not disappoint (cf. Bull Spes non confundit , 2).

May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin watch over you. And I ask you, please do not forget to pray for me.

Fraternally,

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 8 April 2025

FRANCIS

Intervention of His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti

Intervention of Stefano Marsella, engineer

At 11.30, at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, at press conference was held present the conservative restoration, technological implementation and safety procedures carried out inside the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican by the Fabric of Saint Peter.

The restoration of the funeral monuments of Popes Paul III and Urban VIII and the lighting renovation of the Necropolis, the Archaeological Rooms and the Vatican Grottoes will be illustrated. The Saint Peter’s Basilica evacuation plan, drawn up in collaboration with the Italian Fire Brigade, in agreement with the Fire Brigade Command of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, was also communicated.

The speakers were: His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, O.F.M. Conv., archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter; Alberto Capitanucci, engineer, head of the Technical and Cultural Heritage Area of the Fabric of Saint Peter; Professor Pietro Zander, head of the Necropolis and Artistic Heritage of the Fabric of Saint Peter; and Stefano Marsella, engineer, central director for technological innovation and logistical resources of the Italian Fire Brigade.

The following are some of the interventions:

 

Intervention of His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti

The Fabric of Saint Peter proverbially never stops working, and tries to reciprocate the faith and love of the pilgrims and visitors who enter the Basilica. We want to give back what is given to us and what this place of the spirit has left us over the centuries, also and especially in the Jubilee Year.

In the heart of the Jubilee of Hope, the restoration of the funeral monuments of Popes Paul III and Urban, as well as the new lighting of theNecropolis and the Vatican Grottoes, are gestures of light and memory that accompany the pilgrim in an experience of contemplation, faith and beauty.

We want to allow visitors to admire the Glory of Gian Lorenzo Bernini together with the two grandiose sepulchral monuments located to the right and left of the Cathedra, one of Pope Farnese, by Guglielmo della Porta, and the other of Pope Barberini, again by Bernini.

We also want to offer an immersion in history and the profound experience of the sacred. We will see the archaeological spaces as they were seen by the first Christians, the Popes of centuries past, in the splendour of chiaroscuro that recalls the light of the torches that illuminated the birth of the Church and our path.

We owe all this to the offerings of those who come to pray in the Basilica and/or visit it, and, in particular, to some benefactors, the Knights of Columbus, who intervened for the Necropolis, and the Safavi Philanthropic Institute, which intervened for the Vatican Grottoes. Heartfelt thanks are due to all.

The Basilica is open to the world. Visited by twelve million people every year, probably twice as many during the Jubilee, it also needs security, to make everyone feel protected. Even the new evacuation plan for Saint Peter’s Basilica, which we will briefly illustrate, is a concrete expression of that pastoral solicitude that takes care of the wellbeing of every believer and visitor. Better management and faster exit flows guarantee greater ease and security. For this work we can never be grateful enough to the Italian Fire Brigade Corps who, in agreement with the Fire Brigade Command of the Governorate of Vatican City State, have developed a study and a project that could become exemplary for places of worship.

Urged by Pope Francis to be “artisans of hope and restorers of an often distracted and unhappy humanity”, we consider these works not only as necessary technical interventions, but as signs of a living Church, welcoming and attentive to the “things of God”, to the men and women of our time who thirst for love, peace and joy, who thirst for authentic spirituality.

 

Intervention of Stefano Marsella, engineer

The study and evaluation of the evacuation of Saint Peter’s Basilica have led to the definition of a new emergency plan, designed to reduce risks in critical situations, when the Basilica is full either due to the religious events of the Jubilee, or for the constant high influx of pilgrims and tourists.

The work was carried out by the staff of the Fabric of Saint Peter and, for the safety assessment aspects of the evacuation, by personnel from the National Fire Brigade, on the basis of the agreement signed on 25 October 2023 between the Department of Fire, Public Rescue and Civil Defence of the Ministry of the Interior and the Fabric of Saint Peter. This agreement is aimed at improving safety standards in the monumental complex of Saint Peter’s Basilica through training activities and, in this specific case, the collaborative effort that led to a comprehensive study of the escape routes inside St. Peter's Basilica.

The work began with the deployment of high-performance Laser Scanner systems by personnel of the National Fire Brigade to carry out the 3D survey with millimetric accuracy of almost the entire Basilica, both in the parts accessible to the public and in the potential escape routes. This activity made it possible to accurately reproduce the geometry of the sites and to verify certain details that were fundamental for the simulation without resorting to continuous surveys.

The evaluation of evacuation safety was also based on realistic simulations reproducing the influx of people in two main scenarios: during liturgical services with approximately 5,000 participants and during periods of tourist and pilgrim visits, where the number drops slightly to 4,000 visitors. Software was used to simulate the detailed aspects of people and places, which made it possible to analyse the fluidity of people’s movement towards the exits, identifying critical junctions that could slow down evacuation in the event of an emergency. In this regard, mention must be made of the cognitive contribution of the simulation model and the general problems of evacuation by one of the most important global experts on the subject, Professor Ed Galea of the University of Greenwich - Fire Safety Engineering Group.

One of the key elements that emerged from the study was the elimination of physical and informal barriers, leading to the replacement of steep steps with ramps, which helped to reduce risks and make the Basilica more accessible to all, including the disabled or persons with mobility difficulties.

Evacuation simulation software has also made it possible to visualise pedestrian flows and identify areas where dangerous traffic jams form. As a result, the document, highlighting the accurate study of crowd behaviour in areas where crowd densities could exceed safe levels (more than 4 people per square metre) allowed for the most appropriate physical and organizational measures to be taken to bring densities down to acceptable levels. In fact, high crowd densities increase the risk of dangerous spillover and the undesirable chain of consequences that can occur when large numbers of people have to leave a location quickly.

The proposed changes also significantly reduce the time necessary to evacuate the Basilica, notably improving the previous procedures. In summary, the aim was that of transforming a historic but complex space into an even safer place for millions of visitors and faithful who visit every year, using technological innovation and detailed plans. It provides an example of how cultural heritage can adapt to modern security requirements without losing its essence.

Conclusion of term of office of Military Ordinary for Italy

In accordance with Italian law regulating the service of Spiritual Assistance to the Armed Forces, Archbishop Santo Marcianò, on 10 April last, upon reaching the age of 65, left the post of Military Ordinary for Italy.

Today,  Friday 11 April 2025 , at  12.30 , a press conference will be held at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, to present the  conservative restoration, technological implementation  and  safety   procedures  carried out inside the  Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican  by  the Fabric of Saint Peter .

The restoration of the  funeral monuments of Popes Paul III and Urban VIII   and the  lighting renovation of the  Necropolis , the  Archaeological Rooms  and the  Vatican Grottoes  will be illustrated. The  Saint Peter’s Basilica evacuation plan , carried out in collaboration with the  Italian Fire Brigade ,  in agreement with the Fire Brigade Command of the Governorate of the Vatican City State , will also be communicated.

The speakers will be:

-  His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti , O.F.M. Conv., archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter;

-  Alberto Capitanucci , engineer, head of the Technical and Cultural Heritage Area of the Fabric of Saint Peter;

-  Professor Pietro Zander , head of the Necropolis and Artistic Heritage of the Fabric of Saint Peter;

-  Stefano Marsella , engineer, central director for technological innovation and logistical resources of the Italian Fire Brigade.

The press conference will be livestreamed in the original language on the  Vatican News  YouTube channel, at  https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews .

 

Remote participation

Journalists and media operators who wish to participate remotely in the press conference must apply, no later than two hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at  https://press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , selecting the event  CS Basilica Vaticana: restauri, implementazione tecnologica, sicurezza.

During the request phase, it is necessary to select the option “Sì” in the box “ Partecipazione da remoto ”.

Journalists and media operators who are admitted will receive confirmation of participation via the online accreditation system and, at the same time, the link to access the virtual platform and participate actively in the press conference, with the possibility to ask questions.

 

Participation in person

Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in the press conference in person must apply, no later than 24 hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at  https://press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , selecting the event:  CS Basilica Vaticana: restauri, implementazione tecnologica, sicurezza.

Journalists and media operators who are admitted will receive confirmation of participation via the online accreditation system.

* * *

Journalists and media operators accredited for the Press Conference are invited to be present thirty minutes before the start time.