Bangkok: The Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao has been elected the President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).
He will succeed Cardinal Charles Muang Bo, the Head of the Catholic Church in Myanmar, in January 2025, after the latter completes his term as the Head of the Asian Church.
The election was held on February 22, during a three-day FABC Central Committee Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David of Kalookan, Philippines, was elected the Vice President, while Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kilkuchi of Tokyo, Japan, was re-elected for a second term as the Secretary General of the Federation.
Currently, Cardinal Ferrao is the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), the national body of the Bishops of the Latin Rite in India.
The FABC is a federation comprising of the episcopal conferences of Asia. It was founded in 1970, and is the Vatican-approved association of Episcopal Conferences in Asia.