Puttur Syro-Malankara Catholic diocese comes into being

The first diocese of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the State was opened at Noojibalthila, near Puttur in Dakshina Kannada, on Thursday.

Geevarghese Mar Divannasios took charge as the first Bishop at a religious ceremony.

He was earlier the Bishop of Sulthan Bathery Diocese in Wayanad, Kerala.

Major Archbishop of the Malankara Catholic Church Moran Mor Baselios Cleeemis Catholicos; Archbishop of Bangalore Bernard Moras; Bishop of Belthangady Lawrence Mukkuzhy; Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP; and B. Ramanatha Rai, MLA, were among those present. Bishops from other parts of the State and outside, who attended the ceremony, felicitated the new Bishop. The Puttur Diocese has 22 churches under it spread across Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Mandya, Mysore, Shimoga and Chamarajanagar districts.