Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto is the serving

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi ( la, Delhien(sis)) is a Latin Church Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern India. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Sacred Heart Cathedral, in the national capital city of New Del ...

Early life

He was born on 22 September 1954 in Pomburpa,

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, to Mr. Avito Piedade Jose Couto and Mrs. Ernestina Isabel Lobo e Couto.

Education

Anil received his primary education at a Government Primary School and thereafter at St. Elizabeth's High School at Pomburpa,

. He did his ecclesiastical studies at the Seminary of Our Lady at

Saligao Saligão () is a census town in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is surrounded by the villages of Porvorim, Parra, Guirim, Sangolda, Pilerne, Candolim, Calangute and Nagoa and is in Bardez Taluka of Goa. It is 10 km from ...

and his

philosophical studies ''Philosophical Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal for philosophy in the analytic tradition. The journal is devoted to the publication of papers in exclusively analytic philosophy and welcomes papers applying formal techniques to philo ...

at the Patriarchal Seminary at

Rachol Rachol is a village within an Ilha de Rachol, island of the same name in Salcete, Goa, in south-western India. It is located on the left bank of the Zuari River and is home to the famous Rachol Seminary. The famous Portuguese colonial Rachol F ...

. Completed Master of Theology Degree in

Ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

at Vidyajyoti and acquired his

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

Ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at St. Thomas Aquinas Pontifical University ( Angelicum),

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Religious journey

He was ordained a priest for

on 8 February 1981. Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Delhi on 17 January 2001, he was ordained bishop on 11 March 2001. He was appointed

Episcopal Vicar Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

by late Archbishop Alan de Lastic 1999 and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Cenculiana on 17 January 2001. His

Episcopal Ordination Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

was held on 11 March 2001. He was transferred as

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

on 24 February 2007 and he took charge of it on 15 April 2007. He also served as the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the Delhi Archdiocesan Minor Seminary, "Vinay Gurukul", in

Gurgaon Gurgaon (pronunciation: �ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: �ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...

. In 1991 he was appointed the Rector of 'Pratiksha',

Major Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, in

Archbishop

He was appointed the Archbishop of Delhi on 2 December 2012, replacing Archbishop Vincent Concessao, who passed the

canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...

retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

age of 75 the previous year. He also serves as the chairman of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops' of India (CCBI - of the Latin Rite) for

. He is a member of the Commission for Inter Religious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).

Controversial political comments

Anil Couto, in a letter written to all parish priests and religious institutions in the Delhi archdiocese, has claimed that a "turbulent political atmosphere" in the country posed a threat to India's constitutional principles and secular fabric. Reacting to the development, Government Minister Giriraj Singh said in a tweet, "The church receives an order from Italy whereas pseudo-seculars get their support from Pakistan. The day will soon come when the Hindus understand this and smash both to save India"

References