Pope Francis appoints Bishop Udumala Bala as Archbishop of Visakhapatnam

Born on June 18, 1954 in Ghanpur, Telangana, Bishop Bala served in various pastoral and administrative roles within the Diocese of Warangal

Hyderabad: Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Udumala Bala, currently serving as the Bishop of Warangal, as the new Archbishop of Visakhapatnam. The announcement was made on Saturday, marking a significant transition in the leadership of the Archdiocese.

Born on June 18, 1954 in Ghanpur, Telangana, Bishop Udumala Bala was ordained a priest on February 20, 1979. He holds a Doctorate in Moral Theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome. Throughout his priesthood, he served in various pastoral and administrative roles within the Diocese of Warangal.

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From 1994 to 2006, Bishop Bala was a professor of Moral Theology at St John’s Regional Seminary in Hyderabad, where he also served as Rector from 1997 to 2006. In 2006, he was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) in Bengaluru, a position he held until his appointment as Bishop of Warangal in 2013.

Appointed as the Bishop of Warangal on April 13, 2013, by Pope Francis, Bishop Bala was consecrated on May 23, 2013. During his tenure, he focused on pastoral care, education, and social services within the diocese.