Metropolitan Archdiocese of

Bhopal

India

Continent: South and East Asia

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Metropolitan Archdiocese Metr. Archdiocese

Name: Bhopal / Bhopalen(sis) (Latin)

Suffragan Sees: Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Jhabua, Khandwa

Depends on: Dicastery for Evangelisation

Website:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Saint Francis of Assisi

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1963.09.13: Established as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bhopal / Bhopalen(sis) (Latin) (from Diocese of Ajmer–Jaipur, Diocese of Indore and Diocese of Jabalpur and with suffragan sees Indore and Jabalpur)
1968.07.29: Lost territory to establish Apostolic Exarchate of Sagar and gained suffragan sees Sagar, Satna and Ujjain
1977.02.03: Gained suffragan see Khandwa
1977.02.26: Gained suffragan see Jagdalpur
1977.11.10: Gained suffragan see Ambikapur
1999.02.09: Gained suffragan see Gwalior
2002.03.01: Gained suffragan see Jhabua
2004.02.27: Lost suffragan sees Ambikapur and Jagdalpur
2025.08.28: Lost suffragan sees Sagar, Satna and Ujjain

Present Prelates

Metropolitan Archbishop (2021.10.04 – ...):

Archbishop Alangaram Arockia Sebastian Durairaj, S.V.D. (68)

Ordinaries

Metropolitan Archbishops of Bhopal (Roman Rite)

Archbishop Alangaram Arockia Sebastian Durairaj, S.V.D. (68)
(2021.10.04 – ...)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Bhopal (India)

Witnessing to the Word

Born:	1957.05.03 (Thirunagar, India)
Ordained Priest:	1985.05.08
Consecrated Bishop:	2009.07.16

Bishop of Khandwa (India) (2009.05.11 – 2021.10.04)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Bhopal (India) (2021.10.04 – ...)

Archbishop Leo Cornelio, S.V.D. (80)
(2007.06.15 – 2021.10.04)

Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Bhopal (India)

Born:	1945.03.14 (Kukkunje, India)
Ordained Priest:	1972.11.14
Consecrated Bishop:	1999.09.08

Bishop of Khandwa (India) (1999.06.03 – 2007.06.15)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Bhopal (India) (2007.06.15 – 2021.10.04)

Archbishop Paschal Topno, S.J.
(1994.03.26 – 2007.06.15)

Rise to the highest

Born:	1932.06.15 (Torpa, India)
Ordained Priest:	1965.07.31
Consecrated Bishop:	1986.01.18
Died:	2025.04.06 (Ambikapur, India † 92)

Bishop of Ambikapur (India) (1985.10.28 – 1994.03.26)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Bhopal (India) (1994.03.26 – 2007.06.15)

Archbishop Eugene D’Souza, M.S.F.S.
(1963.09.13 – 1994.03.26)

Love is Jesus Christ

Born:	1917.11.15 (Nagpur, India)
Ordained Priest:	1944.09.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1951.10.03
Died:	2003.03.18 († 85)

Bishop of Nagpur (India) (1951.07.12 – 1953.09.19)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Nagpur (India) (1953.09.19 – 1963.09.13)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Bhopal (India) (1963.09.13 – 1994.03.26)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Khandwa (↙), Indore (↙), Ujjain (←), Sagar (↗), Jabalpur (→), Nagpur (↘)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 20,387 km²

Population: 14,750 Catholics (0.3% of 5,719,710 total)

Pastoral Centres: 46 parishes

Personnel: 150 priests (72 diocesan, 78 religious), 877 religious (283 brothers, 594 sisters), 19 seminarians

Pastoral Centres

Last updated on 2025.11.11

© 2025 GCatholic.org