In a solemn celebration, Varghese Chakkalakal was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the newly elevated Archdiocese of Calicut, Kerala, South India.
The liturgical ceremony took place on Sunday, 25 May 2025, at St. Joseph’s School Grounds, attracting thousands of faithful from across Kerala and beyond.
The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal. Archbishop Chakkalakal made his profession of faith and took the canonical oath before the Nuncio, officially assuming his new role as Metropolitan Archbishop.
Over 25 bishops, hundreds of priests and religious, and thousands of lay faithful attended the landmark event. The highlight of the celebration was the reading of the papal decree that elevated the Diocese of Calicut to a Metropolitan Archdiocese.
The decree, issued by Pope Francis on 12 April 2025 after consultation with the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Apostolic Nunciature, was proclaimed in Latin by Msgr. Vincent Pullickan, in English by Rev. Dr. Jerome Chinanthara, and in Malayalam by Fr. Sajeev Varghese, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Calicut.
The newly formed ecclesiastical province of Calicut will now include the dioceses of Kannur and Sultanpet as its suffragans.
In his homily, Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and President of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), highlighted the historical and missionary significance of Calicut in the evangelization of northern Kerala.
“Calicut is the mother diocese of all Catholic dioceses in the Malabar region,” he said, recalling the generous support the diocese offered to Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara clergy in earlier decades, enabling the growth of parishes and mission centers in the region.
Representing the CCBI were Father Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General, and Father Charles Leon, Executive Secretary to the Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy, and Religious.
The celebration marks in the history of the Catholic Church in Kerala, ushering in a new era of pastoral leadership and missionary outreach for the Archdiocese of Calicut.
The Diocese of Calicut has a rich spiritual heritage dating back more than 500 years. Evangelization in the region began in 1498 with the arrival of Trinitarian missionary Pedro Covilham. The first church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was established along the Malabar Coast in 1500.
In 1878, Pope Pius IX separated territories comprising Mangalore, Kannur, and Calicut from the Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar, entrusting them to the Jesuits of Venice, Italy. Calicut was later erected as a diocese in 1923 by Pope Pius XI, formed from parts of Mangalore, Mysore, and Coimbatore.
Calicut played a pioneering role in the Church’s mission in Kerala. In 1954, the Oriental faithful were placed under the newly formed Diocese of Tellicherry. In 1998, Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Kannur out of Calicut.
Initially led by Jesuit bishops—Paul Perini, Leo Proserpio, Pancratius Zanolin, and Aldo Maria Patroni, the diocese later came under diocesan leadership with Bishop Maxwell Noronha in 1980, followed by Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil in 2002 and Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal in 2012.
came under diocesan leadership with Bishop Maxwell Noronha in 1980, followed by Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil in 2002 and Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal in 2012.
Chakkalakal brings with him decades of pastoral and administrative experience. Born in Malapallipuram in the Diocese of Kottapuram, he pursued his studies in Mala and Mangalore and was ordained a priest in 1981. He was appointed the first Bishop of Kannur in 1998 and served there until his transfer to Calicut in 2012.
He has served in various key leadership roles, including as Secretary General of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI). He currently leads the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRLCBC) and the CCBI Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy, and Religious.
The faithful of the archdiocese now look to Archbishop Chakkalakal as he leads them into a new chapter of ecclesial growth and missionary dynamism. -with inputs from Dr. Stephen Alathara
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