New archbishop for Delhi diocese

Bishop Anil Jose Tomas Couto of Jalandhar will be the new Archbishop of Delhi.

Pope Benedict XVI on Friday announced the appointment of Bishop Couto, who has experience working in the diocese as the Auxiliary Bishop.

Rev Vincent M Concessao, the present Archbishop of Delhi will remain as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until the canonical taking possession of the new Archbishop.

Archbishop Concessao had submitted his resignation when he turned 75 in September 2010, a rule followed by every archbishop or bishop.

"We are very happy to have our own from the diocese back to the Archdiocese. Since he knows the situation, he would be the most ideal person to render the best possible services to the Archdiocese", said the incumbent Archbishop Concessao.

Bishop Couto, who hails from Pomburpa in Bardez, Goa, was born on September 22, 1954. He completed his theology at Vidya Jyothi, Delhi, in 1981 and was ordained priest on February 8, 1981.

"I will continue to work with the vision of Archbishop Vincent M. Concessao, taking into consideration the current situation of social, religious, economic and other realities around us," said Bishop Couto.

The Archbishop elect is expected to take over January 20, 2013.

The Archdiocese of Delhi comprises the Union Territory of Delhi and the districts of Gurgaon, Rohtak, Mahendragarh, Sonepat, Faridabad, Mewat, Jhajjar and Rewari of Haryana. It currently has some 83 parishes, 78 educational institutions, and 16 hospitals and dispensaries.