Bombay Auxiliary Bishop, Sri Lankan Redemptorist among Four Asian Experts at Amoris Laetitia Meeting

Auxiliary Bishop Stephen Fernandes of Bombay and a  Sri Lankan Redemptorist are among four Asian theologians appointed as experts for a Vatican meeting, currently underway in Rome, to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which addresses love in the family.

The meeting, titled “Ten Years after Amoris Laetitia: Proclaiming the Gospel with Families Today,” has bought together the presidents of episcopal conferences worldwide and the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches at the Vatican from October 7 to 14.

Bishop Fernandes is joined by three other Asian theologians: Redemptorist Fr. Vimal Tirimanna, Fr. Shaji George Kochuthara and Fr. Neil Dos Santos.

The meeting aims to foster reflection and synodal discernment on how the Church can proclaim the Gospel to families today, taking into account changing family circumstances and pastoral experiences in local Churches.

Bishop Fernandes previously served as executive secretary of the Commission for Theology and Doctrine of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI). He also served at the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi before Pope Leo XIV appointed him auxiliary bishop of Bombay on October 25, 2025.

Fr. Tirimanna, a Redemptorist priest from Sri Lanka, is a member of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) Synodal Commission and a former executive secretary of the FABC Office of Theological Concerns.

Fr. Kochuthara is a professor of moral theology at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, a theological institute in Bengaluru, southern India. Fr. Dos Santos serves as chancellor and tribunal judge of the Archdiocese of Bombay.

The Vatican meeting marks 10 years since Pope Francis published Amoris Laetitia in 2016, following the Synod of Bishops on the family. The document addresses marriage, family life, pastoral accompaniment and the challenges faced by families in different circumstances.

The gathering will provide an opportunity for Church leaders to reflect on the document’s pastoral vision, share experiences from local Churches and discern ways to strengthen the Church’s accompaniment of families in a changing world.