The Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference (PCBC) serves as the assembly of

catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

bishops in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Its primary objectives are to facilitate coordinated discussions on issues affecting the Church and to formulate common policies and actions that support the Church's mission in the country. On 18 April 1990, the PCBC made the decision to establish a new seminary for philosophical studies in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lahore is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese in Punjab province, Pakistan. Its episcopal seat is the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore. History In 1594 the Mughal emperor Akbar invited some Catho ...

, recognising the need for an additional institution beyond the Christ the King Seminary in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, which was previously the only major seminary in Pakistan. In 1997, the PCBC further expanded its efforts by approving the establishment of the National Catholic Institute of Theology in Karachi to provide theological education in line with the renewal inspired by the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

Presidents

Cardinal

Joseph Cordeiro Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro (19 January 1918 – 11 February 1994) was a Catholic prelate who in 1973 became the first Pakistani cardinal. Early life Cordeiro was born to a Goan family which hailed from the village of Salvador do Mundo ...

, 1958–1971 and 1973-1994 Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, C.S.C., 1971–1973 Archbishop

Armando Trindade Armando Trindade (born 25 October 1927 in Karachi, British India (now Pakistan)) studied at St Patrick's High School, Karachi. He received his religious training at the Papal Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka, and was ordained a priest on 6 May 1950. ...

, 1994–2000 Archbishop

Simeon Anthony Pereira Simeon Anthony Pereira (19 October 1927, Sukkur, British India - 22 August 2006, Karachi) was a former archbishop of Karachi. Life Pereira was educated at St Patrick's High School, Karachi. He received his religious training at the Papal Semi ...

, 2000–2002 Archbishop

Lawrence Saldanha Lawrence John Saldanha (born 12 June 1936) is an Indian-born retired Pakistani archbishop. Born in Mangalore, India, he received his religious training at the Christ the King seminary in Karachi and was ordained a priest in Lahore, Pakistan ...

, 2002-2011 Archbishop Joseph Arshad, 2011-present

Secretary General

Bishop

Anthony Theodore Lobo Anthony Theodore Felix Lobo (4 July 1937 – 18 February 2013) was a Pakistani Roman Catholic bishop. On 8 June 1982 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Karachi by Pope John Paul II. On 28 May 1993 he became Bishop of Islamabad–Rawalpindi. ...

, 1989–2010 Bishop

Rufin Anthony Rufin Anthony (12 February 1940 – 17 October 2016) was a Pakistani Roman Catholic bishop. Early life Anthony was born in Khushpur, Lyallpur District, British India (now in Faisalabad District, Pakistan). He completed his primary and secondary ...

, 2010-2015

Commissions

National Commission for Justice and Peace Catholic (National) Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) was formed in 1985 by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan. It provides services in the field of human rights advocacy. Leadership Founding Chairperson Bishop John Joseph (l ...

National Catholic Education Commission, Pakistan Major Seminary Muslim Christian Dialogue Catechetics and Biblical Apostolate Liaison with Charismatics Ongoing Formation of Clergy Revision of Urdu Catholic BiblesUCANews, April 26 1989
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References

Catholic Church in Pakistan Episcopal conferences {{Catholic-org-stub