(ANS - Vatican City) - Yesterday, 3 February, the Holy Father Pope Francis appointed the Salesian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, SDB, Archbishop Emeritus of Guwahati as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the diocese of Jowai, India,

The diocese of Jowai in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya is a young and fast growing diocese, which was created on 28 January 2006 with Bishop Vincent Kympat as its first bishop. His premature death in 2011 left everyone shocked. The diocese has 81,242 Catholics, 28 priests, 40 sisters and 19 religious brothers.

This is the third diocese entrusted to the pastoral care of the Indian Salesian who has already served for 11 years as bishop of Dibrugarh (1981-1992) and for 20 years as bishop and archbishop of Guwahati (1992-2012). Archbishop Menamparampil submitted his resignation on 18 January 2012, when he reached 75 years of age.

Asked about his response to the new appointment, Abp Menamparampil said, “it came to me as a surprise.” He raised his difficulties to ecclesiastical authorities adding the Latin dictum, "Non recuso laborem" (I will not shirk work).

The appointment came just when Abp Menamparampil and his team were at their busiest with a dialogue between the Karbis and the Rengma Nagas who came into conflict a few months ago.

“Dozens of villages were burnt, some 3,000 people had fled to refugee camps, and all negotiations had failed. Though gradually the Karbis began returning to their homes, the Rengma Nagas were different. They are fewer in number, some 6,000 in all, than other communities,” says Abp Menamparampil who engineered the peace initiative.

It was at this time that the Joint Peace Mission Team of Archbishop Thomas sought to offer their assistance: a delegation of fifteen of them went from Guwahati to visit the camps near Chokihola and Jongpha. Other delegates came from Golaghat, Diphu and other places. Some of the team members visited even the more remote villages.

The visiting ecumenical team reached the Rengma village of Jongpha and sought to persuade the two groups to send their representatives to Guwahati to explore ways of restoring normality in the area.

Hope for peace and reconciliation is rising in the Karbi Anglong District as the leaders of the two communities have agreed and are due to visit Guwahati for the proposed meeting. It is at this juncture that Abp Menamparampil receives his new appointment.

Published 04/02/2014