Bishop James Thoppil is the serving Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kohima The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kohima ( la, Kohimaen(sis)) is a diocese headquartered in the city of Kohima, Nagaland, in the ecclesiastical province of Imphal in India. Its territory includes the entire state of Nagaland. History * 29 January ...

Early life and education

James Thoppil was born on 8 May 1959 in

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India to Mr. Uthuppan Charalel and Mrs. Anna. He completed his minor

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, ...

from Minor Seminary of St. Joseph,

Dibrugarh Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in ...

in 1977. He completed his studies in

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

from Christ King College in 1980. He then completed his Theological studies in 1985 from Oriens Theological College and the Sacred Heart Theological College. He completed his training from Parish of St. Joseph in Tseminyu,

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

in 1982. He did his minor seminary studies from St. Joseph's Seminary, Dibrugarh. He did his Philosophical Studies at Christ King College, Shillong while at the same time doing B.A at St. Anthony's College, Shillong. He did Regency at St. Joseph's Church, Tseminyu from 1980 to 1982. He completed the Theological studies (B. Th) at Sacred Heart Theological College, Shillong, under the

Salesian Pontifical University The Salesian Pontifical University (; ) is a pontifical university in Italy run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. It has three campuses, one in Rome, one in Turin, and one in Jerusalem. The Salesian Pontifical University is an ordinary member of th ...

, Rome, from 1982 to 1986. He did his licentiate in the Field of Dogmatic Theology under

Pontifical Urban University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

, Rome, from 1994 to 1996 and completed his Doctorate in the same field and under the same university from 1996 to 1998. His doctoral dissertation is titled ''Towards an Asian Ecclesiology''.

Priesthood

Thoppil was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on 12 January 1982 in Kohima.

Episcopate

He was appointed bishop of the Diocese of

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

on 16 June 2011 by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

. He was ordained a bishop on 8 September 2011 by

Salvatore Pennacchio Salvatore Pennacchio (born 7 September 1952 in Marano, Italy) is a Catholic archbishop and diplomat of the Holy See, currently president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Biography He received his priestly ordination on 18 September ...

Writings

Towards an Asian ecclesiology: understanding of the church in the documents of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) 1970-1995 and the Asian Ecclesiological Trends
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References

21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in India People from Kottayam 1959 births Living people {{RC-bishop-stub Pontifical Urban University alumni Salesian Pontifical University alumni Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI