Leo Cornelio

S.V.D. The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Ri ...

(born 14 March 1945) is an Indian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

from 2007 to 2021. He was bishop of Khandwa from 1999 to 2007.

Biography

Leo Cornelio was born in

Kallianpur Kallianpur (previously anglicised as Calliampore) is a hamlet of Tonse East village about six km from Udupi. It is a developed with all modern amenities like schools, college, hospital, good transport and communication facilities. The people ...

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

, on 14 March 1945. At the age of thirteen he joined the

Divine Word Missionaries The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic Church, Catholic clerical religious congregation ...

(SVD). He completed his minor seminary studies at Rajeshwar Vidhyalaya, in Mhow,

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

from 1958 to 1962. He studied with the SVD for two years and then spent two years in their novitiate. He completed his studies in philosophy in 1968 and theology in 1972 at the Papal Athenaeum,

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

. He was ordained a priest on 14 November 1972 and began working at Gyan Ashram in Mumbai. He obtained his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in English literature from the State University. He also completed a course in

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 ...

and

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

in Rome in 1983. In 1984, he was elected to a three-year term as provincial superior of the SVD's Central Indian province based in

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

, and he was elected to a second term in 1987. He was elected a general councilor of the order at its general chapter held in Rome in June 1988. He was appointed Bishop of Khandwa by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

on 3 June 1999 and received his episcopal consecration on 8 September 1999. On 17 February 2001, Pope John Paul named him a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. He was appointed Archbishop of Bhopal 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 ...

on 15 June 2007 and installed there on 16 September 2007.

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

accepted his resignation on 4 October 2021.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornelio, Leo 1945 births Living people Christian clergy from Karnataka 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in India Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II