The Vatican’s top diplomat to India, Leopoldo Girelli, has concluded his five-year mission, with Catholic bishops highlighting his efforts to promote unity and accompany the poor in one of Asia’s most diverse Church communities.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India honored Girelli during a farewell gathering on April 23 at the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi, attended by senior clergy, diplomats, and Church leaders.
Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, president of the bishops’ conference, “gratefully recalled Archbishop Girelli’s dedicated service to the Church in India,” highlighting “in a special way his concern for the poor and his sustained efforts to foster unity within the Church and in society.”
Girelli, who served from March 13, 2021, to April 23, 2026, expressed appreciation for the support he received from the local Church, saying his mission “was both challenging and enriching.”
He described the Church in India as “vibrant and beautiful, marked by rich ritual traditions and deep cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity.”
Church leaders presented tokens of appreciation during the gathering, including a memento from Cardinal Ferrão and a traditional Indian shawl from Archbishop Peter Machado and Archbishop Anil Couto. Rev. Dr. Stephen Alathara handed over a letter of gratitude on behalf of the Latin Church in India.
Among those present were Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of Faridabad, Archbishop Raphy Manjaly of Agra, and more than 15 bishops from northern India, along with ambassadors and other dignitaries.
Girelli departed India on April 24 to assume a new diplomatic assignment in Croatia, concluding a tenure the bishops said helped strengthen unity across the country’s diverse Catholic communities.
