naming

Bangladesh gets ninth diocese as Pope Leo XIV appoints first bishop #Catholic DHAKA — Pope Leo XIV has erected a new diocese in northern Bangladesh, naming a veteran seminary rector as its first bishop in what local Catholics are calling an Easter gift to the region’s predominantly Indigenous faithful.The Diocese of Joypurhat was established March 25, carved out of territories belonging to the dioceses of Rajshahi and Dinajpur and made a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Dhaka. The announcement was made by Archbishop Kevin Randall, apostolic nuncio to Bangladesh.Father Paul Gomes, 63, a priest of the Diocese of Rajshahi and rector of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Banani, Dhaka, has been appointed the diocese’s first bishop.Gomes was born in the Diocese of Rajshahi on Sept. 3, 1962. He studied philosophy and theology at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary and earned a bachelor of arts degree from Notre Dame College in Dhaka. He later completed a master’s degree and licentiate in dogmatic theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 29, 1992, and has served in pastoral and academic roles across the Rajshahi Diocese ever since, including as vicar general and rector of the Good Shepherd Cathedral in Rajshahi before returning to seminary leadership.Speaking to Radio Veritas after the announcement, Gomes said he would work to strengthen the faith, education, moral and social values, and overall development of the faithful in the new diocese.“There is no infrastructure here except for the parishes. I have to build a new bishop’s house and other infrastructure, and I hope to complete it with everyone’s cooperation,” Gomes said.‘An Easter gift from Pope Leo XIV’The new Joypurhat Diocese has 10 parishes and two quasi-parishes, serving approximately 23,000 Catholics, the majority of whom belong to Indigenous communities.“I think the new bishop and the diocese are an Easter gift from Pope Leo XIV to us. I hope the new bishop will carry out his pastoral work properly with our laypeople,” said Hilarius Mardy, a father of two.Mardy told EWTN News that lay Catholics would provide every kind of support within their means to the new bishop, but he added that the development of the diocese would require cooperation from Catholics across Bangladesh, not only within the new diocese.Questions over Indigenous representationWith the erection of Joypurhat, Bangladesh now has nine Catholic dioceses. Less than 1% of Bangladesh’s approximately 180 million people are Christian; the country’s roughly 400,000 Catholics include a large proportion from Indigenous communities.However, the appointment has prompted some differences of opinion. A 55-year-old Catholic who asked not to be named said an Indigenous bishop would have encouraged more Indigenous people to enter religious life.“I think the bishop who has been appointed is qualified, but was there no qualified Indigenous priest? If not, then it is a failure of the Church,” the Catholic said.Although Gomes has been formally appointed, his episcopal consecration is scheduled for June 5 in Joypurhat, Chancellor Father Premu T. Rozario of the Diocese of Rajshahi told EWTN News. Since no bishop’s house yet exists, the installation will take place at a local parish church near the city of Joypurhat.
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Bangladesh gets ninth diocese as Pope Leo XIV appoints first bishop #Catholic DHAKA — Pope Leo XIV has erected a new diocese in northern Bangladesh, naming a veteran seminary rector as its first bishop in what local Catholics are calling an Easter gift to the region’s predominantly Indigenous faithful.The Diocese of Joypurhat was established March 25, carved out of territories belonging to the dioceses of Rajshahi and Dinajpur and made a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Dhaka. The announcement was made by Archbishop Kevin Randall, apostolic nuncio to Bangladesh.Father Paul Gomes, 63, a priest of the Diocese of Rajshahi and rector of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Banani, Dhaka, has been appointed the diocese’s first bishop.Gomes was born in the Diocese of Rajshahi on Sept. 3, 1962. He studied philosophy and theology at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary and earned a bachelor of arts degree from Notre Dame College in Dhaka. He later completed a master’s degree and licentiate in dogmatic theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 29, 1992, and has served in pastoral and academic roles across the Rajshahi Diocese ever since, including as vicar general and rector of the Good Shepherd Cathedral in Rajshahi before returning to seminary leadership.Speaking to Radio Veritas after the announcement, Gomes said he would work to strengthen the faith, education, moral and social values, and overall development of the faithful in the new diocese.“There is no infrastructure here except for the parishes. I have to build a new bishop’s house and other infrastructure, and I hope to complete it with everyone’s cooperation,” Gomes said.‘An Easter gift from Pope Leo XIV’The new Joypurhat Diocese has 10 parishes and two quasi-parishes, serving approximately 23,000 Catholics, the majority of whom belong to Indigenous communities.“I think the new bishop and the diocese are an Easter gift from Pope Leo XIV to us. I hope the new bishop will carry out his pastoral work properly with our laypeople,” said Hilarius Mardy, a father of two.Mardy told EWTN News that lay Catholics would provide every kind of support within their means to the new bishop, but he added that the development of the diocese would require cooperation from Catholics across Bangladesh, not only within the new diocese.Questions over Indigenous representationWith the erection of Joypurhat, Bangladesh now has nine Catholic dioceses. Less than 1% of Bangladesh’s approximately 180 million people are Christian; the country’s roughly 400,000 Catholics include a large proportion from Indigenous communities.However, the appointment has prompted some differences of opinion. A 55-year-old Catholic who asked not to be named said an Indigenous bishop would have encouraged more Indigenous people to enter religious life.“I think the bishop who has been appointed is qualified, but was there no qualified Indigenous priest? If not, then it is a failure of the Church,” the Catholic said.Although Gomes has been formally appointed, his episcopal consecration is scheduled for June 5 in Joypurhat, Chancellor Father Premu T. Rozario of the Diocese of Rajshahi told EWTN News. Since no bishop’s house yet exists, the installation will take place at a local parish church near the city of Joypurhat.

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Pope Leo XIV erected the Diocese of Joypurhat on March 25, appointing Father Paul Gomes as first bishop of a region whose Catholics are largely Indigenous.

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Cardinal Dolan to co-lead New York Police Department’s chaplains’ unit #Catholic New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch is naming Cardinal Timothy Dolan to co-lead the NYPD’s chaplain’s unit.Dolan, who recently retired as archbishop of New York, will serve alongside Rev. A.R. Bernard, pastor and founder of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, according to a Feb. 9 press release from the archdiocese. Tisch is expected to announce the appointment during her Feb. 10 “State of the NYPD” address.“For more than a century, our Chaplains Unit has made sure that our officers never have to carry the tremendous weight of their work alone. They’ve helped officers find their better angels and remember the calling that lives at the heart of this work,” Tisch said in a statement. Tisch, who is Jewish, said that when contemplating whom she might choose to fill the role, “one word kept coming to mind — ‘tzadik,’ a person of righteousness.”“Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Rev. A.R. Bernard are two of the most righteous people this city has ever known,” she said. “They are two men of incredible faith whose lives and leadership embody the moral clarity, compassion, and wisdom our officers rely on in their hardest moments.”Tisch commended both faith leaders for helping to “shape the spiritual life of this city through leadership that reaches far beyond their pulpits.”“Their decision to serve the NYPD speaks to something enduring between faith and policing, and to the place the chief chaplain role has long held in the lives of the men and women who wear the shield,” she added.Dolan and Bernard will replace longtime Chief Chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass, who died in October 2025.News of Dolan’s appointment comes days after the installation of New York City’s new archbishop, Ronald Hicks, on Feb. 6. Dolan’s resignation was accepted by Pope Leo XIV on Dec. 18, 2025.
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Cardinal Dolan to co-lead New York Police Department’s chaplains’ unit #Catholic New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch is naming Cardinal Timothy Dolan to co-lead the NYPD’s chaplain’s unit.Dolan, who recently retired as archbishop of New York, will serve alongside Rev. A.R. Bernard, pastor and founder of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, according to a Feb. 9 press release from the archdiocese. Tisch is expected to announce the appointment during her Feb. 10 “State of the NYPD” address.“For more than a century, our Chaplains Unit has made sure that our officers never have to carry the tremendous weight of their work alone. They’ve helped officers find their better angels and remember the calling that lives at the heart of this work,” Tisch said in a statement. Tisch, who is Jewish, said that when contemplating whom she might choose to fill the role, “one word kept coming to mind — ‘tzadik,’ a person of righteousness.”“Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Rev. A.R. Bernard are two of the most righteous people this city has ever known,” she said. “They are two men of incredible faith whose lives and leadership embody the moral clarity, compassion, and wisdom our officers rely on in their hardest moments.”Tisch commended both faith leaders for helping to “shape the spiritual life of this city through leadership that reaches far beyond their pulpits.”“Their decision to serve the NYPD speaks to something enduring between faith and policing, and to the place the chief chaplain role has long held in the lives of the men and women who wear the shield,” she added.Dolan and Bernard will replace longtime Chief Chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass, who died in October 2025.News of Dolan’s appointment comes days after the installation of New York City’s new archbishop, Ronald Hicks, on Feb. 6. Dolan’s resignation was accepted by Pope Leo XIV on Dec. 18, 2025.

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Cardinal Timothy Dolan will work part time as co-lead of the NYPD’s chaplain unit, the archdiocese confirmed.

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