On attaining the Bishopric superannuation age of 75 years, the outgoing Archbishop Most Rev. Bernard Moras demitted his office. To fill this ecclesiastical position, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Most Rev. Dr. Peter Machado, Bishop of Belgaum, as the new Archbishop of Bangalore on 19.03.2018.

Archbishop-Designate Peter Machado would be the 7th Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bangalore. There were three bishops served the Bangalore Diocese, prior to its raising to the status of an Archdiocese.

The Most Rev. Peter Machado, son of the late Aveline and the late Anthony Machado, hails from Honnavar in Uttara Kannada District. Born on May 26, 1954 in Honnavar, he joined St. Michael’s Seminary, Belgaum, before his matriculation. He continued his high school studies at St. Paul’s High School in Belgaum and was later sent to Papal Seminary in Pune to do his philosophical and theological studies. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Commerce from Pune University.

He was ordained a Priest on Dec. 8, 1978 for the Diocese of Karwar, which had been created as a separate diocese from the diocese of Karwar two years earlier. He holds a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome.

He was appointed Bishop of Belgaum by the then Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, on February 2, 2006, and he was ordained a Bishop in Belgaum in the same year on 30th March.

His 12 years of service as the Bishop of Belgaum saw great pastoral, educational and social developments in the Diocese. A number of new churches and education institutions were built for the overall uplift and welfare of the underprivileged in the Diocese.

He is simple and hardworking and has a great love for the poor. He is a great thinker, prolific reader, good orator and an erudite writer, and thus keeps himself abreast of the events of the time. These qualities would definitely help him in his pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese.

He has been a great protagonist of the family ministry. And he has headed the Regional Commission for Family and Laity at the Karnataka Regional level for many years. His interest in empowering the lay faithful is indeed commendable. Presently, he is the Chairman of the Catholic Council of Karnataka and as such he is involving the laity in all the welfare activities in the region.

Most Rev. Peter Machado will be installed as the New Archbishop of Bangalore on 31st May, 2018 at St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. All of us in the Archdiocese of Bangalore and the Dioceses in Karnataka congratulate him and wish him every success in his Pastoral endeavours.