Diocese of Cochin

Diocese of Cochin Diœcesis Coccinensis കൊച്ചി രൂപത
Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Kochi
Coat of arms
Location
Country	India
Episcopal conference	Conference of Catholic Bishops of India Catholic Bishops' Conference of India Kerala Catholic Bishop's Council
Ecclesiastical region	Kerala
Ecclesiastical province	Verapoly
Deaneries	6
Headquarters	Fort Kochi, Kerala
Coordinates	9°57′53″N 76°14′34″E / 9.964774°N 76.242738°E / 9.964774; 76.242738
Statistics
Area	236 km2 (91 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2021) 625,500 182,324 (28.2%)
Parishes	51
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	4 February 1557; 469 years ago (4 February 1557)
Cathedral	Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Fort Cochin
Patron saint	Holy Cross St Francis Xavier
Secular priests	166 Diocesan Priests 116 Religious Priests 545 Religious Sisters
Language	Malayalam English Portuguese
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Antony Kattiparambil
Metropolitan Archbishop	Joseph Kalathiparambil
Vicar General	Very Rev Msgr Josy Kandanattuthara
Episcopal Vicars	Very Rev Fr Francis Xavier Kalathiveetil Very Rev Fr Tomy Chambakkatt Very Rev Fr Johny Xavier Puthukattu
Judicial Vicar	Joshy George Alesseril
Bishops emeritus	Joseph Kariyil John Thattumkal
Website
dioceseofcochin.org

The Diocese of Cochin (Latin: Diœcesis Coccinensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Cochin, Kerala, India. A constituent of the sui iuris Latin Church, the diocese was established in 1557 after the domination of the Portuguese-speaking missionaries. The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Verapoly. According to Annuario Pontificio 2025, Diocese of Cochin is the first diocese of Kerala

The diocese is situated with the Arabian Sea in the west, the Archdiocese of Verapoly in both north and east, and the Diocese of Alleppey in the south. The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica in Fort Cochin is the diocese's cathedral where the Diocesan Administrator resides. Pope Francis appointed James Raphael Anaparambil, Bishop of Diocese of Alleppey, as apostolic administrator sede plena to the diocese on 11 October 2024 and his term has ended on 8 December by the installation of Antony Kattiparambil as the Bishop of Cochin.

On 25 October 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed Antony Kattiparambil as the bishop of the diocese.^{[citation needed]}

History

The early Christian missionaries arrived in India from Portugal in 1550, pioneering the Portuguese mission in the country. Subsequently, the Christians of Kochi began practicing the Latin liturgical rite. St. Francis Xavier often visited the land of Kochi, where he offered holy mass at the St. Francis Church, in which lies the body of Vasco da Gama buried in 1524. The Order of the Franciscans built a monastery in 1518 and two more, of the Jesuit Order, in 1550 and 1561. In 1553 the Dominicans sisters started a college and Monastery in Kochi, and before 1557, publication began and book printing began in Kochi. The Society of Jesus was then founded by Father Balthazar Gago, S.J. in 1550 and in 1560, the King of Portugal built for the Society of Jesus, the college of Kochi, and in 1562, a novitiate of the Society was established there. Following the rising of the land, Pope Leo X, in 1514 erected the Diocese of Funchal, and in 1534, the Diocese of Goa which was joined by the people in Kochi. The diocese of Cochin was elected by Pope Paul IV on 4 February 1557, in his decree "Pro Excellenti Praeeminentia" for the two new suffragan dioceses (the other being Diocese of Malacca).

The Papal Bull of Pope Paul IV, which was used earlier in erecting the diocese was also utilised in raising the collegiate church of the Holy Cross, and the parish church of Cochin to a cathedral of the diocese with the first Bishop of Cochin, a Dominican Father Jorge Tremudo. In 1577, Brother João Gonsalves, S.J. was engraved at Cochin for the first time, thus, outlined the first Malealam book Outlines of Christian Doctrine, which was written in Portuguese by St. Francis Xavier to aid children. Cochin was taken on 6 January 1663, by the Dutch after a siege of six months. The city was reduced in size; the clergy were expelled; the monasteries and colleges, bishop's palace, etc., were razed to the ground. The church of St. Francis of Assisi, belonging to the Franciscan monastery was spared by the conquerors and converted for their religious use. After the English overthrew the Dutch, they kept the church which was turned into a merchandise to serve as a witness to the past four centuries, as well as an existing oldest church in India.

Notable ordinaries

Parishes

The Diocese Of Cochin has fifty one independent parishes with resident priests under six ecclesiastical districts as follows

In the 9th century there were only three parishes in Kochi:

St. Lawrence Church Edakochi,

Our Lady Of Life Church Mattancherry, and

St. Louis Church Mundamveli.

Gallery

• 
  Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica
• 
  Church of Our Lady of HopeVypeen
• 
  Thankey Church
• 
  Church of Our Lady of Life
• 
  Holy Cross Church, Mattancherry
• 
  St Antony's Forane Church, Kannamaly
• 
  Poomkavu Church
• 
  St Augustine Church, Aroor
• 
  St. Lawrence Church, Edacochin

See also

• Catholic Church in India
• List of Catholic dioceses in India
• Territories of Catholic dioceses in India

Notes

Citations

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of Cochin.