His Excellency Archbishop-Patriarch, Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrão, was elected Vice-President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in India (Latin Rite), at its plenary held in January 6 – 11, 2011.

The plenary which deliberated on “Catechetical renewal, essential for a vibrant Church.” ended with a call for a catechetical renewal to counter corruption in the country. The outgoing President, His Eminence Card Oswald Gracias of Bombay, speaking to ucannews.com, referring to the situation in this our country said that widespread corruption and impropriety in all areas of life in India “not only indicates the lacuna in the education, but highlights the urgency of character formation.”

In the final statement, at the end of the plenary sessions, the 120 bishops present urged Catholics to participate in the catechetical initiatives of the Church and to become authentic and credible witnesses of faith in their lives. They urged parents to play a vital role in the faith-formation of their children through family prayer and catechesis. And they expressed their commitment to “make every effort to read the signs of the times in the Indian socio-cultural and multi-religious scenario.”

During the meeting the draft of the new National Catechetical Directory was discussed. It will be released after the Vatican approves it.

The plenary elected Cardinal Telesphore Toppo as the new president of CCBI, Archbishop Philip Neri of Goa as the vice-President and Bishop Vaghese Chakkalakal of Kannur as the secretary general.