In a first, Pope Leo XIV has appointed a Kerala bishop to the Vatican’s International Council for Catechesis. According to church authorities, Mar Jose Pulickal, Bishop of the Kanjirappally Diocese under the Syro-Malabar Church, was named to the high-level council for a five-year term.Kanjirappally Diocese Public Relations Officer (PRO) Fr. Stanly Pullolikal noted that the appointment of a Kerala bishop to the international council is an honour for the local church.“In 1973, Pope Paul VI established the International Council for Catechesis to foster training in the life of faith. Formerly part of the Congregation for the Clergy, the council was reconstituted in 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI under the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization,” said the priest.Encouraging training in the life of faith for believers of all categories, issuing guidelines and directives to ensure that faith formation is imparted in accordance with the Church’s tradition of faith, ensuring that the methods and goals of faith formation are properly carried out in accordance with the guidance of the Church’s Magisterium, approving catechetical publications owned by the Church, including catechism textbooks, with the consent of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and providing assistance to and ensuring coordination among the international catechetical activities of national and regional bishops’ conferences are the major responsibilities of the person who is appointed to the international council,” said Fr. Pullolikal.Mar Pulickal was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Kanjirappally Diocese in 2016 and elevated to Bishop of Kanjirappally on February 3, 2020. He also serves as the Chairman of the Syro-Malabar Catechetical Commission and the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council Bible Commission, as well as a member of the Syro-Malabar Media Commission, Public Commission, and the Synodal Commission of Vadavathoor St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary.“Through this appointment, the Syro-Malabar Church gains an opportunity to share its rich faith formation tradition more effectively within the universal Church’s global mission,” Fr. Pullolikal added. Published - August 07, 2026 07:13 pm IST