George Antonysamy

George Antonysamy (born 15 February 1952), is an Indian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Archbishop of Madras and Mylapore since 2012. He previously served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

The Most Reverend

George Antonysamy
Archbishop of Madras and Mylapore
SeeRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore
Appointed21 November 2012
Installed21 November 2012
PredecessorMalayappan Chinnappa
Other postsApostolic Nuncio to Gambia, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone
Orders
Ordination19 November 1980
Consecration21 September 2005
by Ivan Dias
Personal details
Born (1952-02-15) 15 February 1952
Tiruchirapalli, Madras State, India
NationalityIndian
ResidenceArchbishop's House, 41, San Thome High Road, Chennai 600 004. Tamil Nadu, India
Previous post
MottoLUMEN FIDEI
Styles of
George Antonysamy
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Grace
Religious styleMonsignor
Posthumous stylenot applicable

Biography

He was born on 15 February 1952 in Trichy, Tamilnadu.[1] He completed his primary education in Trichy and entered St. Augustine's Minor Seminary. He completed his Bachelor of Philosophy and Master of Theology degrees at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome.[2]

He was ordained a Catholic priest on 19 November 1980.[1] He served as an assistant parish priest at Holy Redeemer's Minor Basilica, Trichy for one year.[2]

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 March 1987. His early postings included assignments in Indonesia, Algeria, the Central African Republic, Bangladesh, and Lithuania.[1] He became the Chargé d'affaires of the nunciature in Jordan in 2002.[2]

On 4 August 2005, Pope John Paul II named him titular archbishop of Sulci and Apostolic Nuncio to Guinea, Liberia, and Gambia.[1]

He received his episcopal consecration on 21 September 2005 from Cardinal Ivan Dias.

On 20 September 2005 he was named Nuncio to Sierra Leone as well.[3]

He was replaced as Apostolic Nuncio to Guinea by Martin Krebs on 8 September 2008,[4] but continued to hold his other appointments as Nuncio.

On 21 November 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him archbishop of Madras and Mylapore.[5]

In May 2018, he led demonstrations and protested police brutality against Catholic protesters who oppose the expansion of a copper plant. He said the protests "drew inspiration" from the directive Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si that "the church should return to its mission of ministering to the poor and marginalized, advancing the cause of the environment for those who most depend on it."[6]

In 2018 he was one of four delegates elected by the Indian Catholic Bishops' Conference to participate in the Synod of Bishops on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment.[7]

On 12 January 2019 he was re-elected Vice President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).[8]

Antonysamy speaks several languages including Tamil, English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Indonesian.[1]

References
  1. "Rinunce e Nomine, 04.08.2005" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 4 August 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  2. "George Antonysamy new archbishop of Madras-Mylapore". UCAN India. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. "Rinunce e Nomine, 20.09.2005" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 20 September 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  4. "Rinunce e Nomine, 08.09.2008" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  5. "Rinunce e Nomine, 21.11.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  6. "Indian Catholics condemn police brutality after protesters shot". UCA News. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  7. "XV Assemblea Generale Ordinaria del Sinodo dei Vescovi (3-28 ottobre 2018) – Elenco dei Partecipanti, 15.09.2018" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  8. Gomes, Robin (12 January 2019). "India's Latin-rite bishops elect new office bearers". Vatican News. Retrieved 31 May 2019.


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