A native of the same Indian metropolis, 57 year-old Msgr. John Rodrigues has led the diocese of Pune since last year after serving for ten years as auxiliary bishop to Card. Oswald Gracias, who will turn eighty on 20 December next. As of 25 January, he will be at his side with right of succession. He comes from a family in which the widowed mother accompanied all three of her sons to the priesthood.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis has chosen the new coadjutor archbishop of Mumbai, the great metropolis of India: he will be 57 year old Mgr John Rodrigues, a prelate originally from this same city of which he was auxiliary bishop for ten years and who since March 2023 has led the diocese of Pune, also in the State of Maharashtra.

The pontiff has appointed him coadjutor archbishop: he will therefore flank with right of succession Card. Oswald Gracias, Metropolitan of Mumbai since 2006 and representative of Asia in the Council of Cardinals, who will be eighty years old next 20 December, thus leaving the list of possible participants in a future conclave.

At the same time as the announcement made today by the Vatican Press Office, the Archdiocese of Mumbai also issued a note in which ‘the bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful extend a warm welcome to the Reverend John Rodrigues on his return to the archdiocese’. The announcement is also made that ‘he will assume office on 25 January 2025 and will reside in the archdiocesan house’.

Bishop John Rodrigues was born in Mumbai on 21 August 1967, where he was also ordained a priest in 1998 by the then Archbishop Ivan Dias, whose particular secretary he also served for a time. He then furthered his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, obtaining a licence in dogmatic theology, a subject he taught in Indian seminaries. Appointed auxiliary bishop, he was ordained in 2013 by Card. Gracias. During his tenure as auxiliary bishop, he was also rector of the Mount Mary Basilica in Bandra district. On 25 March 2023, Francis then entrusted him with the leadership of the diocese of Pune, which he has led until today.

A few years ago, Msgr. Rodrigues had shared with AsiaNews the particular story of his family: the new coadjutor archbishop of Mumbai is in fact the son of a widowed woman with three sons, all three of whom later became priests. Besides Bishop John, his elder brother Fr Luke is a Jesuit while Fr Savio is also a priest in the archdiocese of Mumbai.

‘It was through the example of our mother Corinne Rodrigues, who always reminded us of God's presence, creating an atmosphere of prayer in our home and weaving bonds with other priests, that we felt our call to religious life,’ Msgr John Rodrigues told AsiaNews in 2017. The woman - who died in 2000 - was a former teacher heavily involved in charitable initiatives in the archdiocese of Mumbai, promoting various charitable works. One of these is ‘Hope and Life Movement’, a support group specifically for widowed women. Corinne was also a widow, but the pain of losing her beloved husband did not prevent her from passing on the values of the Gospel and the love of the Lord to her children.

Joy at the news of his brother's appointment as coadjutor archbishop of Mumbai was expressed to AsiaNews by his elder brother, Fr Luke Rodrigues. ‘John has always been a brilliant person,’ he says, ‘but above all a person focused on service to God and his people. His episcopal motto ‘Building up the Body of Christ’ (Eph. 4:12) looks precisely at this. We are proud and pray for him that he may fulfil God's will in Mumbai'.