Indigenous Bishop Named Coadjutor Archbishop of Guwahati in Northeast India

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Albert Hemrom of Dibrugarh as coadjutor archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guwahati, making him the first indigenous priest from the Diocese of Dibrugarh to be entrusted with the pastoral leadership of the metropolitan archdiocese in Northeast India.

The appointment, announced by the Holy See on July 16, is being seen as a significant step in the growing leadership of indigenous clergy in a region where the Catholic Church has deep roots among tribal communities.

The Archdiocese of Guwahati, based in the northeastern state of Assam, serves more than 63,000 Catholics in 47 parishes. Its faithful come largely from indigenous communities, including the Garo, Rabha, Bodo, Karbi, Tiwa, Santal, and other Adivasi peoples. The archdiocese is served by 67 diocesan priests, 155 religious priests, and 516 women religious.

Bishop Hemrom, 57, was born on Feb. 27, 1969, in Konapathar, within the Diocese of Dibrugarh in Assam. He received his early priestly formation at St. Joseph's Minor Seminary in Dibrugarh before studying philosophy and theology at Christ the King College and Oriens Theological College in Shillong, the capital of neighboring Meghalaya state. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dibrugarh on April 25, 1999.

He earned a licentiate in canon law from St. Peter's Pontifical Institute in Bengaluru in 2003 and later completed a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome in 2014.

Pope Francis appointed him coadjutor bishop of Dibrugarh on Dec. 2, 2018. He was ordained a bishop on Feb. 24, 2019, and later succeeded Bishop Joseph Aind, SDB, as diocesan bishop.

His appointment also continues a longstanding connection between the Diocese of Dibrugarh and the Metropolitan See of Guwahati. In previous decades, Dibrugarh produced bishops who later became archbishops of Shillong and Guwahati. Bishop Hemrom, however, is the first indigenous diocesan priest from Dibrugarh to assume this role. Unlike many of his predecessors, who belonged to missionary religious congregations, he is a member of the local clergy formed within the Church he will now help lead.

Bishop Hemrom is widely known for his work in canon law, seminary formation, and Church administration. He serves as chairman of the Northeast Social Communication Commission (NESCOM) and the Regional Canon Law Commission of the Northeast India Regional Bishops' Council. He has also taught canon law to seminarians across the region.

As coadjutor archbishop, Bishop Hemrom will assist the current archbishop and automatically succeed him upon his retirement.

His appointment reflects the continued development of the Catholic Church in Northeast India, where indigenous clergy are assuming greater leadership in communities first established through missionary efforts.